Birth Cohort Analysis of Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking Among Hispanics in the United States

To investigate historical trends of cigarette smoking among Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and Puerto Rican—Americans, we conducted a birth cohort analysis of smoking prevalence by using smoking histories of 8286 adults and adolescents from the 1982-1983 Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We constructed smoking prevalence curves for men and women among successive ten-year birth cohorts. Birth cohort—specific prevalence rates were higher for men than for women. Rates, however, decreased among successive cohorts of men. Conversely, rates increased among successive cohorts of Cuban-American and Puerto Rican—American women. For example, peak rates among the 1911 through 1920 cohorts were 26% (Cuban-American women) and 25% (Puerto Rican—American women) compared with peak rates of 43% and 52%, respectively, among comparable groups from 1951 through 1960. These results demonstrate that despite a reduction of cigarette smoking among successive cohorts of Hispanic men, Hispanic women have made little progress or have actually increased their cigarette smoking.

(JAMA 1989;261:66-69)