Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the effects of sociodemographic variables on the smoking behavior of African Americans. METHODS: Data for 14,397 African-American respondents (18-64 years old) to the National Health Interview Survey in the years 1990 through 1993 were examined in multivariate models. RESULTS: Age was the strongest predictor of smoking, and men were at least 1.75 times as likely as women to be smokers (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The Year 2000 goal of an 18% prevalence rate among African-American adults may not be attained without major community interventions focusing on male and middle-aged African Americans.