Health Disparities:

"Differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and the burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States" - National Institutes for Health

"...racial or ethnic differences in the quality of healthcare that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention." -Institute of Medicine's Unequal Treatment:Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care

The following populations tend to be at higher risk for smoking and smoking-related disease relative to the national average:

• African Americans

• Latinos/as

• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders

• Native Americans

• People in treatment for substance abuse

• People in treatment for mental illness

• People with disabilities

• Smokeless tobacco users

• The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community

• Persons with low socioeconomic status

For more information on health disparities related to tobacco use, visit:

Colorado Office of Health Disparities

Center for Disease Control, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Office of Minority Health