Latinos and blacks are more likely to pick up a cigarette-smoking habit during their 20s, according to a new study, Science Daily reports.
The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, looked at longitudinal data and found that, at age 18-and-a-half, 44% of whites, 27% of Latinos, and 18% of blacks smoked cigarettes.
By age 29, the trend rose in Latinos and blacks (30% and 31%) and dropped in whites (40%).
Study researchers said the findings can help guide interventions targeted to reduce cigarette smoking “at the right ages for the right socio-demographic groups,” said Rebecca J. Evans-Polce, postdoctoral fellow at the Bennett Pierce Prevention Center.
“In order to better understand why these disparities in substance use behavior exist, we need to look at how risk and protective factors for substance use change as individuals age and for different racial/ethnic and gender groups,” Evans-Polce said.
