Smoking policies in the home have less influence on cigarettes per day and nicotine dependence level among African American than White smokers: A cross-sectional analysis

Background: African American smokers suffer disproportionately from tobacco-related disease caused, in part, by lower rates of smoking cessation. We examined whether smoke-free home policies and delay discounting were differentially associated with cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) and nicotine dependence (ND) among African Americans and Whites. Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from 65 African American (n = 40) and White (n = 25) smokers who completed measures of CPD, ND, tobacco craving, stress, depression, home smoking policy, and delay discounting. Results: A significant interaction was found between race and home smoking policy on CPD (B = −11.21, p = 0.002) and ND (B = −3.42, p = 0.004). Smoke-free policies in the home were associated with fewer CPD and lower ND levels among Whites, but not among African Americans. Whites who allowed smoking in their homes had significantly greater mean CPD and higher mean ND than their counterparts who did not allow smoking in the home. Among African American smokers, there were no differences in CPD and ND among those who allowed smoking in their home versus those who did not. Conclusions: The findings extend the scientific literature by suggesting that a malleable environmental factor (home smoking policy) commonly associated with cessation among Whites does not have the same influence on cessation among African American.