African-American homes might be less likely to ban smoking at home..

July 16, 2009 - Prohibiting tobacco use at home could reduce adolescent smoking rates, but the practice might be less common in black families than in white ones, a new study found. "African-American homes have fewer full bans, and more people are allowed to smoke in those homes," said Jessica Muilenburg, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of health promotion and behavior at the University of Georgia.

Researchers led by Muilenburg surveyed 4,296 Mississippi high school students about their smoking habits and home smoking rules. About three quarters of the teens surveyed were African-American; nearly one quarter were white. Sixty-one percent of teens reported having smoking bans at home that disallowed any smoking; 32 percent of teens noted they were not allowed to smoke at home although adults were; and 7 percent of teens reported no restrictions on smoking at home. Students whose parents did not ban smoking were more likely to try smoking and smoke daily, and less likely to feel that smoking was dangerous to their health.

Overall, about 66 percent of white parents banned smoking at home completely, compared with 60 percent of African American parents.

PAPER: The Home Smoking Environment: Influence on Behaviors and Attitudes in a Racially Diverse Adolescent Population">; Jessica Legge Muilenburg, PhD, MPH; Teaniese Latham, MPH; Lucy Annang, PhD, MPH; William D Johnson, PhD; Alexandra C Burdell; Sabra J West; Dixie L Clayton, MPH; Health Education and Behavior - August issue, ABSTRACT..

Reference: Home Smoking Rules Tend to Vary by RaceHealth Behavior News Service, InterestAlert.com, 7/15/2009.