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Surprising Results on Smoking Research Hispanic Versus White Female Smokers  

The nation's first scientific study on the relationship between smoking and respiratory disease among Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white (NHW) women revealed that NHW women smokers were at greater risk of developing airflow obstruction and diminished lung function than Hispanic women who smoke - a surprising finding given that many diseases more adversely affect ethnic minorities. Smoking-related respiratory diseases are a major cause of death among all women.

The objective was to evaluate the risk of airflow obstruction and to assess lung function among Hispanic and NHW female smokers in a New Mexican group of participants.

Lead investigators at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) - in collaboration with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles - conducted the study, which was financed by the Tobacco Settlement Commission of New Mexico.

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