Smoking Among Hispanic and Latino People, and Free Help to Quit

Smoking cigarettes raises the risk of heart disease and cancer, the leading causes of death among Hispanic and Latino people in the United States.

• About 1 in 13 (7.7%) Hispanic or Latino adults in the U.S. smokes cigarettes.
• Among Hispanic and Latino people, men smoke more often than women.

Several factors link commercial tobacco to higher rates of disease, disability and death in particular groups of people. CDC describes the health disparities from commercial tobacco that affect Hispanic and Latino people, and publishes how many people smoke, nationally and in each group.

Real stories

CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign tells the stories of real people living with illness and disability caused by smoking. Among the Hispanic and Latino participants:

• Andy A., 55, of Texas, started smoking at 15 to fit in with friends. Decades later he was diagnosed with throat cancer caused by smoking. Removing it took three operations, and surgeons used muscle and skin from his legs to rebuild his throat. His wife, Debra B., is now his main caregiver.
• Beatrice R., 40, of New York, a Navy veteran and mother of two, began smoking regularly at 13. She quit in 2010 because she wanted to be there for her family.
• Felicita R., 63, of Florida, started smoking at 12, not knowing it could damage her gums and teeth. By 50 she had lost all her teeth. She has said she feels ashamed, and that she believes cigarettes wrecked both her health and her looks.
• Jessica S., 28, of New York, has never smoked. Her son Aden was diagnosed with asthma at 3, and secondhand smoke has set off his asthma attacks.
• Mariano Z., 55, of Illinois, started smoking at 15. In 2004 he had open-heart surgery and narrowly avoided a heart attack. He quit, grateful for a second chance.
• Noel S., 42, of New York, began smoking menthol cigarettes at 13 and smoked two packs a day for more than 20 years. At 36 he had a heart attack caused by smoking. He finally quit, changed his diet and began exercising regularly. He has described lighting a cigarette at every step of his morning, and says his goal is for someone to tell him they quit because of him.
• Rose H., of Texas, began smoking at 13. She developed lung cancer, which spread to her brain, and after many treatments she died at 60.

Free help to quit

• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Help is also available in Spanish (1-855-DÉJELO-YA), Chinese (1-800-838-8917), Korean (1-800-556-5564) and Vietnamese (1-800-778-8440).
• Text QUITNOW to 333888 (message and data rates may apply), or use CDC's quitSTART app for tips, information and challenges.
• Visit Smokefree.gov (also in Spanish) or the Asian Smokers' Quitline.

Medicines

The FDA has approved 7 medicines to help people quit smoking. Health insurance, health plans and other sources can provide them free or at reduced cost.

Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Hispanic and Latino People," Tips From Former Smokers. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/groups/hispanic-latino.html
• "Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2021," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7218a1.htm
• "Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2016," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6702a1.htm