Do Sex and Ethnic Differences in Smoking Initiation Mask Similarities in Cessation Behavior?

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Abstract
Objectives. This study compared success in smoking cessation by sex, ethnic status, and birth cohort. Methods. African and European American respondents to the 1996 Current Population Survey (tobacco supplement) and the 1987 National Health Interview Survey (cancer control and cancer epidemiology supplements) constituted the study population. Elapsed time from smoking initiation to cessation was compared via nonparametric tests and survival analysis techniques. Results. Findings showed that success in quitting was independent of ethnic status and sex and that population differences in smoking initiation age (assuming no differences in quitting behavior) could produce statistical associations between sex/ethnicity and smoking cessation. Conclusions. Population differences in smoking initiation patterns can mask similarities in cessation rates. (Am J Public Health. 2002;92:961–965)