Smoking cessation interventions in U.S. racial/ethnic minority populations: an assessment of the literature

Background Smoking prevalence rates in some ethnic minority groups are elevated relative to the majority population. Thus, identifying cessation interventions that are effective for these groups is important. This article reviews published studies that examine effects of smoking cessation interventions relevant to racial ethnic minority populations. Methods A literature search of tobacco interventions, reporting smoking cessation outcomes (including quit rates) in U.S. minority populations, was conducted for the period 1985 to 2001. Results Thirty-six studies met preset criteria for inclusion. Twenty-three reported quit rates for African Americans, 4 for Asian/Pacific Islanders, 3 for Native Americans, and 10 for Hispanics. Conclusions The disproportionate number of studies that focused on African American smokers compared with the other major racial/ethnic groups suggests the need for continued efforts to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions for all ethnic minority populations. Abstinence rates varied considerably depending on study design and intervention strategy. Moreover, a relatively small percentage of studies that were randomized trials reported statistically significant findings, and most used intervention strategies that do not reflect the current state-of-the-art. These results strongly suggest that more research is needed to identify successful smoking cessation interventions in these populations.