PREVALENCE OF TOBACCO USE AMONG ALASKA NATIVES - A REVIEW

Background. Previous reports documented high rates of tobacco use amon g Alaska Natives (Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts). In this population, t obacco use is the leading preventable cause of death. Lung cancer is t he leading cause of cancer death among Alaska Natives and tobacco is r esponsible for over one-third of all cancer deaths in this population. Until recently there has been no systematic surveillance of the preva lence of tobacco use in this high-risk population. Data that did exist were not readily available to those primarily responsible for the hea lth care of this population. This is the first time since 1990 that da ta on Alaska Natives have been collected in one analysis; this permits a more representative evaluation of tobacco use. Methods. Data on tob acco use were obtained and analyzed from national and state surveys an d selected research projects from 1988 to 1993. Results. Alaska Native s have high prevalence of tobacco use, including both cigarettes and s mokeless tobacco. Tobacco use prevalence among Alaska Natives exceeds that of Alaska non-Natives, U.S. whites, and American Indians/Alaska N atives in the United States outside of Alaska. Smoking prevalence amon g Alaska Native women is twice that of non-Native women in Alaska and nearly twice as high among pregnant Alaska Natives than pregnant non-N atives. Overall, prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was four times hi gher among Alaska Natives than comparative state and national populati ons. Conclusion. Because this population has such high rates of tobacc o use, it is important to public health that monitoring and educationa l programs be in place and that data specific to Alaska Natives be mad e available. (C) 1997 Academic Press.