Racial/ethnic differences in menthol cigarette smoking, prevalence of smoking cessation, and utilization of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments

Objectives: This study examines the relationship between menthol cigarette smoking and the prevalence of smoking cessation (as indicated by the population quit ratio) and examines whether menthol smokers differ in utilization of evidence-based smoking cessation aids among a nationally representative sample of US adult smokers. Study Design and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2005 NHIS Cancer Control Supplement. The main outcome variables of interest were 1) the prevalence of smoking cessation and 2) use of quit aids. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to model the links between race, ethnicity, demographic, and smoking-related characteristics on the likelihood of quitting smoking and use of quit aids. Results: We observed significant differences in the quit ratio for menthol versus non-menthol among African American smokers (34% vs 49%, p<0.0001), but not among Whites (52% vs. 50%, p=0.2166). In multiple logistic regression analysis, there was a significant interaction between race and menthol smoking status. African American menthol smokers were significantly less likely than White non-menthol smokers to have quit smoking (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI (0.56, 0.96), p-value = 0.0252) after controlling for age, sex, marital status, and age first started smoking regularly. Menthol smoking status was not associated with differences in utilization of quit aids Conclusion: African Americans have the highest rates of menthol cigarette smoking compared to all other racial and ethnic groups. This study provides further evidence that menthol cigarette smoking negatively affects the achievement of successful smoking cessation among African Americans.