Members of the GLBT community are 40-70 percent more likely than heterosexuals to smoke cigarettes, and advocates in Colorado have been gathering information to address the problem. SmokeFree GLBT, a program led by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community
Center of Colorado, has completed what it is calling the largest survey in the country aimed at determining what programs are most successful at helping GLBT people quit smoking.
The collection and analysis of the 1,736 surveys was completed through a partnership among Lambda Community Center in Fort Collins, Boulder Pride, Western Equality in Grand Junction, El Futuro Community Center in Denver, and The Center’s Rainbow Alley.
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Facts about GLBT smoking:
Lesbians smoke approximately three times more than straight women.Approximately 38 – 50% of GLBT youth smoke compared to 28 – 35% of non-GLBT youth.
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States causing heart disease, cancers, and strokes.
A 2006 study conducted among nine Designated AIDS Treatment Centers (DACS) and five adult day healthcare centers found that 59.4% of patients living with HIV/AIDS also smoked. That’s almost three times the rate of the general population.
More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
source: SmokeFree GLBT
