African Americans

Know the Facts
  • About 1 in 5 Black adults in the United States smokes cigarettes (18.3%).
  • Smoking cigarettes puts you at risk for heart disease, cancer, and stroke, which are among the leading causes of death for blacks in the United States.
Why the higher rates and cigarette offers to African American youth? 
Clearly the tobacco companies think they have a good chance of getting a strong foothold in this market. They spend a lot of time and money developing advertising campaigns targeting the African American community. The industry has placed targeted print ads in African American-oriented publications, sponsored events, and placed outdoor billboards in neighborhoods with large African American populations. These cigarette ads feature themes the tobacco companies think will appeal to the African American community, such as references to Malcolm X. RJ Reynold's "Stir the Senses" campaign featured hip hop culture as a promotional tool. And now, Reynolds American has launched a new promotional tour for its KOOL cigarettes called the 2005 KOOL Jazz Philosophy Tour, exploiting jazz culture.
The facts show not only that the African American community is in need of protection from secondhand smoke, but also that it is supportive of smoke-free air. 
  • 47,000 African Americans die each year from smoking-related diseases.
  • Eighty-one percent of African Americans support 100% smokefree laws in workplaces and restaurants.
  • Roughly 34.7 million people (12.9%) comprise the African American population in the United States. Approximately 5.1 million African American adults (22.3%) smoke cigarettes. The majority of African Americans (57.1%) are likely to not permit smoking inside their homes.
  • High rates of occupational exposure to secondhand smoke stem, in part, from the fact that people of color are disproportionately employed in laborer and factory jobs (40.7% compared to the national average of 27.3%), which have the highest rates of exposure to secondhand smoke. African Americans comprise roughly 12 percent of the restaurant workforce, which has the least protection from smokefree laws. (See graph)
  • Seventy-two percent of African Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke, compared to 50 percent of whites, and 45 percent of Mexican Americans.