Coming Out About Smoking

A new report, “Coming Out about Smoking: Tobacco Use in the LGBTQ Young Adult Community” released by the National Youth Advocacy Coalition explores the reasons why sexual minority youth smoke and suggests strategies for prevention.

The report finds that sexual minority youth are likely to smoke due to unique stressors such as discrimination and lack of family acceptance; that many sexual minority youth see smoking as an important social activity; that most sexual minority youth prefer to date nonsmokers; and that sexual minority youth smokers tend not to smoke heavily, with many wanting to quit. In order to reduce smoking rates, the report recommends intervention programs designed by youth and for youth, early outreach to youth smokers, and emphasis on the health risks of smoking.

“Current data suggest that sexual minority youth are more likely to smoke than the general youth population, but this report examines why. There is plenty of opportunity for intervention; we need to encourage tobacco prevention programs designed and driven by and for youth, which both emphasize the health risks of smoking and relate to the major stressors sexual minority youth face each day,” said Gregory Varnum, Executive Director of NYAC.

The full report is available online here.

Tobacco facts:

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people have been targeted by the tobacco industry.

Interventions to counter tobacco use are not always culturally tailored for the LGBT communities.

The LGBT communities smoke at rates 40%-almost 200% higher than the general population.

The National Tobacco Control Network is working to support the many local tobacco control advocates in helping to eliminate tobacco health disparities for all LGBTs.