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The Truth Initiative publishes its report on achieving health equity in tobacco control.

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On December 8, 2015, the Washington D.C-based nonprofit called The Truth Initiative published a report entitled, Achieving Health Equity in Tobacco Control.  Research was gathered and analyzed by a consortium of organizations including The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Tobacco Research Network on Disparities and others. The project coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health.

It was reported that despite population-based tobacco control efforts, smoking disparities exist amongst the US population. Smoking disproportionately affects some demographic groups: the lower socio-economic group, the less educated, racial and ethnic communities, populations with mental illness and substance abuse disorders, and the LGBT communities.

Unfortunately, these groups are major targets of tobacco marketing practices. Tobacco related diseases such as heart disease and cancer are quite predominant in these groups.

The report gave a summary of key findings on smoking prevalence, cessation, health effects and marketing of tobacco amongst the demographic groups most severely impacted by the tobacco epidemic.

The report concluded by recommending a commitment to addressing health inequities, including creating organizational priorities for specific group disparities by advancing health equity principles.

Read the GASP summary here

Read the full report here