Tobacco Prevention and Control Projects
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the Hispanic/Latino population is growing at an unprecedented rate in comparison to other racial/ethnic groups. Latinos are the nation’s second largest racial/ethnic group behind non-Latino whites. Smoking is responsible for 87 percent of the lung cancer deaths in the U.S. and, overall, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanics/Latinos.
Of particular concern, surveys have found that about one-third of Hispanic high school students in grades 9 through 12 are current cigarette smokers. Tobacco products are also advertised and promoted disproportionately to racial/ethnic minority communities.
Due to the increasing numbers of Hispanics/Latinos and mounting data on the negative health effects of tobacco use on this population, failure to aggressively control tobacco use among Latinos is likely to result in a significant proportion of preventable disease and death. Tobacco control is a priority for Hispanics, particularly understanding the onset of tobacco use among youth, developing effective prevention methods and involving health care providers in prevention. Salud En Acción works with federal and state agencies to conduct tobacco cessation and control research and outreach activities.
Current Projects
- Preventing Tobacco Use in Young Latino Workers in Texas Project
- Texas Tobacco Prevention Initiative: Evaluation and Technical Assistance in Media Campaign for TDH Tobacco Prevention Pilot Project
Past Projects
- Multi-Cultural Tobacco Media and Community Control Studies in Texas
- Mass Media Intervention to Reduce Youth Smoking
- Sin Fumar: Preventing Tobacco Use Among Border Youth
