Has tobacco control cut New York City African-American cancer death rates to below White levels everywhere except Utah and Hawaii?

Background. By 2003, New York City (NYC) African-American (AA) cancer death rates were below White levels everywhere except Utah and Hawaii. So I studied relationships between tobacco control and those cancer death rates and racial disparity reversals, using lung cancer death rates as a cumulative tobacco smoke damage (smoke load) bio-index.

Methods. Published National Center for Health Statistics age-standardized death rates (rates) were used and male lung/all other cancer death rate linear regressions run.

Results. 2003 NYC African-American male and female all sites cancer deaths per 100,000 reached 214 and 146, respectively, having dropped about 40% in males since 1981-1983, and reached female and male levels below and approaching NYC White levels, respectively. Tight NYC and United States White and AA male lung/other cancer death rate associations were seen (each p<0.05). Mayor Bloomberg's cigarette tax rises and public smoking bans were followed by 5%/year drops in NYC AA male cancer death rates.

Discussion. Continuing lockstep changes in lung and other cancer death rates in NYC and US males suggest that smoking/tobacco control drives temporal and racial disparities in those death rates. Increasing tobacco taxes, smoke pollution bans, and smoking cessation help may help greatly decrease cancer death rates.