Light versus Heavy Smoking among African American Men and Women Michael S. Businelle a , Darla E. Kendzor a , Tracy J. Costello a , Ludmila Cofta-Woerpel b , Yisheng Li c , Carlos A. Mazas a , Jennifer Irvin Vidrine a , Lorraine R. Reitzel a , Paul M. Cinciripini b , Jasjit S. Ahluwalia d , and David W. Wetter a aDepartment of Health Disparities Research, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA bDepartment of Behavioral Science, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA cDepartment of Biostatistics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA dOffice of Clinical Research, University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Abstract The majority of smoking cessation research has focused on heavy smokers. African Americans (AA) are less likely than the general population to be heavy smokers. Thus, little is known about the smoking and psychosocial characteristics of lighter AA smokers. The present study compared the baseline demographic, smoking, and psychosocial characteristics of light (5-10 cigarettes per day; n = 86) and moderate to heavy (> 10 cigarettes per day; n = 286) AA smokers enrolled in a smoking cessation clinical trial. Results indicated no differences between groups on demographic variables. However, light smokers (LS) were less dependent on smoking, reported more previous quit attempts, and had higher self-efficacy to quit than moderate to heavy smokers (MHS). On a measure of withdrawal, LS reported less pre-quit craving and less difficulty concentrating than MHS. In addition, LS reported lower perceived stress, fewer symptoms of depression, and greater positive affect than AA MHS. These findings highlight important similarities and differences between AA LS and MHS, and have implications for the treatment of AA smokers. Keywords African American; Light smokers; Smoking; Nicotine Dependence 1. Introduction Although the prevalence of smoking is comparable between African Americans (AA) and Caucasians (23.0% vs. 21.9% respectively; CDC, 2007), AA and Caucasian smokers differ in their patterns of smoking. Specifically, AA smokers have lower daily smoking rates (Caraballo et al., 1998; Hahn, Folsom, Sprafka, & Norsted, 1990; Harris, Zang, Anderson, & Wynder, Corresponding Author: Michael S. Businelle, Ph.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Health Disparities Research, Unit 125, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030-4095, msbusine@mdanderson.org, Phone (713) 745-6994, Fax (713) 792-1152. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Addict Behav. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 February 1. Published in final edited form as: Addict Behav. 2009 February ; 34(2): 197–203. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.10.009. NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript