New Surgeon General's Report: Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities

The Surgeon General released a new report titled Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities, the 35th tobacco-related Surgeon General’s Report published since 1964.  Dr. Ylioja, NAQC President & CEO, was a contributing author on this report. 

While the US has made progress in reducing tobacco use in the overall population, advancements have not been equally distributed across all US population groups. Disparities in commercial tobacco product use, exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, exposure to marketing of tobacco products and smoking-related health outcomes persist by race and ethnicity, level of income, level of education, sexual orientation, gender identity, type of occupation, geography, and behavioral health status. 

Chapter 7 (page 539) focuses on promising interventions to reduce tobacco-related health disparities including a section on quitlines. This chapter uses a socioecological perspective to highlight opportunities to address such disparities on multiple levels, including (1) establishing policies at the federal, tribal, territorial, state, and local levels; (2) conducting mass media campaigns; (3) implementing interventions, policies, and practices in organizational and institutional settings; (4) applying interpersonal interventions; and (5) implementing individual interventions. Chapter 8 (page 769) discusses tobacco endgame proposals to advance tobacco-related health equity, as well as liberatory approaches designed to remove social, structural, political, and commercial barriers to tobacco related health equity.

The evidence is sufficient to infer that quitlines can increase access to cessation treatments among population groups affected by tobacco-related disparities, particularly when quitline promotion and services are developed, delivered, and evaluated with attention to their reach and relevance to these groups.