Racial segregation and cigarette smoking among blacks: findings at the individual level.

This study explored the role of racial segregation in cigarette smoking among US blacks. Five hundred and twenty black adults sampled door-to-door in 10 randomly selected, southern California census tracts completed a survey assessing their degree of racial segregation, experiences with racial discrimination, smoking, and income. Results revealed that the prevalence of smoking among highly segregated blacks (32.9 percent) was significantly higher than that of their less segregated cohorts (19.9 percent). Income, gender, and experiences with racial discrimination did not play a role in smoking but low education levels contributed. Early childhood segregation appeared to be the specific segregation variable associated with smoking among black adults.