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July 16, 2024 Story by: Editor
PHILADELPHIA (July 16, 2024) — The African American/Black community faces heightened risks of morbidity and mortality from smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer. A significant barrier to healthcare for this community is believed to be smoking stigma, which affects diagnosis and treatment.
While research on smoking stigma within the African American/Black community is limited, a recent study has revealed that negative perceptions of smoking in this population can impact patient adherence to smoking cessation programs and lung cancer screening protocols.
“Smoking stigma is pervasive in modern society, including the African American/Black population at highest risk for smoking-related mortality. This study provides a foundation and evidence for developing multilevel projects and interventions to improve healthcare, treatment adherence, and health outcomes for people who have a history of tobacco use,” said Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, PhD, MPH.
Zeigler-Johnson, the lead author of the study and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Fox Chase, conducted the research with Denine R. Crittenden, PhD, MPH, of the College of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University, and other Jefferson and Fox Chase researchers.
“The fact that stigma can affect individuals in multiple ways over a lifetime and can have lasting effects, even after a person has stopped smoking, indicates how important it is to reduce stigma in order to increase opportunities for prevention and early detection among high-risk populations and early treatment among patients who experience morbidity,” she added.
Zeigler-Johnson emphasized the need for further studies to understand how smoking-related stigmas affect patient adherence to smoking cessation programs and lung cancer screening protocols. “We hope to develop interventions that will leverage informed social networks to better support patients with a smoking history and counter multi-level barriers of stigma,” she said.
For the study, researchers at Fox Chase and Thomas Jefferson University interviewed 58 African American/Black participants in the Philadelphia region using the free-listing method. Participants were asked to list their thoughts and feelings regarding smoking and health-related questions.
Researchers also collected self-reported demographic data and used graphical methods to identify significant response patterns across groups categorized by gender, age, education, and smoking status.
The median age of the sample was 51 years, with 67.2% female. Many participants had completed college (58.6%) and had never smoked (74.1%). The study found that among all participants, terms like “smelly,” “health hazard,” and “judgment” were most relevant to perceptions of people who smoke cigarettes.
Phrases such as “unhealthy” and “addictive” were notable among participants over 51 years old, while “smelly” was more common among younger participants. Among people who smoke, terms like “smelly” and “annoying” were most prevalent, compared to “health hazard” among non-smokers.
“While having a smoking history may motivate some individuals to seek care, other individuals may be hindered by the presence of stigmatizing beliefs and/or actions and policies,” said Zeigler-Johnson.
The study, “Perceptions of Smoking Stigma Among African Americans: A Qualitative Study,” was published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Source: Fox Chase
