Comparison of smoking-related risk factors among black and white males.

The lung cancer risk factors of smoking prevalence, amount smoked, and age started to smoke were compared for blacks and whites, using the 1970 and 1979/80 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) survey data. For both survey years, proportionally more blacks were never smokers and fewer were ever smokers (although more were current and fewer former smokers). The average adult black smoker smoked approximately 65% of the number of cigarettes smoked by the average white adult. Blacks started smoking later than whites for almost all occupational categories. Thus, it could be argued that whites had higher smoking-associated risk factors than did blacks. At the same time, a much greater proportion of blacks than whites were in the types of occupation where they would have been exposed to occupational hazards. The sharp rise in and the larger incidence of lung cancer among blacks compared to whites may not be due to differences in black and white smoking, but more likely are a reflection of occupational differences.