American Lung Association Weighs In On Surgeon General’s Report on Disparities in Tobacco-Related Disease and Death

The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, recently released the 35^th Surgeon General’s Report on tobacco, titled “Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities.” Officials from the American Lung Association are weighing in on the findings.

The last Surgeon General’s report on tobacco-related disparities was released more than two decades ago in 1998, with the most recent report showing that some of the disparities “have widened further,” according to the American Lung Association.

“For decades, the Surgeon General has been a trusted medical voice, sounding a clarion call for action in battling the death and disease caused by tobacco. Today’s report builds upon that history and once again lays out a blueprint for policymakers and the public,” American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. “The American Lung Association welcomes the Surgeon General’s findings regarding health disparities in the use of tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke and the death and disease that disproportionately affects in the communities insidiously targeted by the tobacco companies. Achieving health equity requires knowing where these disparities exist and acting to eliminate them.”

The report shows that cigarette smoking “remains a major cause of death and disease,” causing more than 490,000 deaths per year, including the deaths of 50,000 Black adults, 15,000 Hispanic adults, and 400,000 White adults.

In addition, the “breadth of tobacco-caused disparities continues to persist and expand within race and ethnicity, level of income, level of education, sexual orientation and gender identity, occupation, geography, behavioral health status, and disability status,” according to the American Lung Association.

For example, the report showed that menthol-flavored tobacco products “increase the likelihood of tobacco initiation, addiction, and sustained use; and are target marketed and used disproportionately by certain population groups, including Black people and people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual,” Wimmer said in the statement.

The report also highlights the need for tobacco cessation resources and prevention policies, officials said.

“The Surgeon General’s report also emphasizes that many people who now use commercial tobacco products have the least resources for and face the greatest barriers to quitting,” Wimmer said in the statement. “It is imperative to pair passage of proven tobacco prevention policies with evidence-based, accessible support to help people quit the use of tobacco products.”

Source: American Lung Association