AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES AND TOBACCO

Fact Sheet

There are approximately 2 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the United States, representing a 10.4 percent increase since 1990. Among racial and ethnic groups, the prevalence of current smoking is highest among American Indians/Alaskan Natives (36.2 percent), followed by African Americans (25.8 percent), whites (25.6 percent), Hispanics (18.3 percent) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (16.6 percent).

• Smoking rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives vary by region and state. Smoking rates are highest in Alaska (45.1 percent) and the North Plains (44.2 percent) and lowest in the southwest (17.0 percent). The prevalence of heavy smoking (25+ cigarettes per day) is also highest in the North Plains (13.5 percent).

• Tobacco use is a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and stroke--all leading causes of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

• Compared with whites, American Indians and Alaska Natives smoke fewer cigarettes each day. The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native smokers who reported that they were light smokers (smoking fewer than 15 cigarettes per day) was 49.9 percent, compared with 35.3 percent for whites.

• The rate of smoking among American Indian and Alaska Native women of reproductive age (18-44) in 1994-95 was 44.3 percent, compared with 29.4 percent of white, 23.4 percent of African American, 16.4 percent of Hispanic, and 5.7 percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander women of reproductive age. Since 1978, the prevalence of smoking by women of reproductive age of all racial/ethnic groups has declined, except American Indian/Alaskan Native women.

• Smoking prevalence among American Indian and Alaskan Native high school senior males from 1990-94 was 41.1 percent; for females, 39.4 percent. In contrast, high school senior smoking prevalence was 33.4 percent for white males and 33.1 percent for white females, 28.5 percent for Hispanic males and 19.2 percent for Hispanic females, 20.6 percent for Asian American and Pacific Islander males and 13.8 percent for Asian American and Pacific Islander females, and 11.6 percent for African American males and 8.6 percent for African American females.

• American Indian and Alaska Native lands are sovereign nations and are not subject to state laws prohibiting the sale and promotion of tobacco products to minors. As a result, American Indian and Alaska Native youth have access to tobacco products at a very young age.

• The tobacco industry targets American Indian/Alaskan Natives by funding cultural events such as powwows and rodeos to build its image and credibility in the community.

For more information about issues related to smoking, call your local American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit our web site at http://www.lungusa.org.

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