African Americans and Tobacco Use

Black or African American is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.”¹ There were over 40 million African Americans in the United States in 2016—approximately 13% of the U.S. population.²

Although African Americans usually smoke fewer cigarettes and start smoking cigarettes at an older age, they are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than Whites.^3,4,5,6,7