More low-income black young adults admit to lighting up a cigarette to help them deal with the stress of daily living, according to a new study.
“In our study, cigarette use was defined as a ‘buffer’ for dealing with multiple demands, financial insecurity and daily hassles,” said Bettina M. Beech of The University of Memphis Department of Psychology.
The study, supported by the National Cancer Institute, was conducted at Tulane University and The U of M, by Beech, the principal investigator.
The researchers, Beech said, discussed smoking habits and attitudes with small focus groups of low-income, young adult blacks, looking for specific social and cultural themes associated with smoking among the groups.
“Research has shown that African-American youths smoke at a much lower prevalence rate than do white youths, but African-American adults smoke at a higher rate than white adults,” Beech said. “So we were looking for what causes the delay in smoking initiations.”
Beech attributes the delay in smoking initiation among the research participants to leaving home. She said strict rules regarding smoking in the home during their school years was common among research participants and was the leading cause for participants not smoking while living with parents.
“African-American families have much more strict rules regarding smoking in the home, regardless of the parents smoking status,” Beech said. “Parents typically enforced that it is disrespectful to smoke in the house, and so the natural experimentation that would happen earlier in life is delayed because of the strong parenting values present during the middle and high school years.”
The second leading cause for the delay, according to study participants, was the lack of disposable income available to the research participants during the middle- and high-school years.
“At the age of 10 they (white children) are walking around with $30, $40, $50 in their pocket, going to buy a packet of cigarettes, and our children (black children) can’t do that,” said one focus session participant during the study.
At the ages of 18-24, when smoking initiations among whites begins to decline, research shows that increased numbers of blacks are trying cigarettes for the first time or beginning to smoke daily, according to the U.S. Center for Health Statistics.
Several participants also talked about the links between marijuana use and cigarette smoking, with some saying that marijuana sensations were improved by cigarette smoking.
“I mostly smoke (cigarettes) after I smoke weed (marijuana),” said a U of M student Wednesday who wished to remain anonymous.
The student, who did not participate in the study, said he found smoking cigarettes alone did help relieve stress. He also said he began smoking cigarettes more often after starting college and having to work full time.
“Sometimes I feel the need to smoke a (cigarette) when my day is stressful,” the student said. “I work 40 hours most weeks and carry a full load (of classes), 18 hours, and sometimes I get stressed out. I definitely feel the need to smoke (a cigarette) on stressful days.”
Although the study did not address smoking cessation, the researchers did ask the participants what they believed to be the most effective strategies to quit smoking.
“A high percentage of the participants said they had no faith in current stop-smoking aids,” Beech said. “They didn’t want to take a pill and they didn’t want to wear a patch, but they felt will power and prayer, the cold turkey method, was the most effective way to quit.”
Although some people may find the “cold turkey” method effective, they are the exception and not the rule according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
The CDC urges those considering quitting smoking to get support from family and friends. It also strongly recommends medication like pills or patches to aid in dealing with the withdrawal symptoms that the majority of smokers experience when trying to quit.
Smokers trying to quit should be prepared for relapses and difficult situations, according to the CDC. Anyone beginning a smoking cessation program, including going cold turkey, should consult a doctor or other health care provider.
