Cigarette and alcohol usage by southwestern American Indians.

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Abstract
This evaluation was undertaken because of the observation that lung cancer seldom occurs in this ethnic group, while Laennec''s cirrhosis is prevalent. A study of 1, 233 southwestern Indians confirmed the impression that cigarette smoking is infrequent and seldom extensive. Indian women smoke much less frequently than the men. The proportion of men who drink alcohol is greater for southwestern Indians than for non-southwestern tribes or Caucasians. Heavy alcohol usage occurs much more frequently among both Indian groups for both sexes than is noted in the white race. The male to female ratio of heavy drinkers among southwestern Indians (1.8:1) is 1/2 that for Caucasians (3. 6:1). The Hopi tribe uses alcohol least often and least extensively, while the Apaches have the greatest proportion of women drinkers. In general, the tribes display an inverse relationship between the prevalence of drinking and smoking.

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