A longitudinal study of the correlates of persistent smoking among sexual minority women

Introduction: We conducted a longitudinal evaluation of factors associated with persistent smoking behaviors among sexual minority women (SMW). Methods: Structured interview data were collected as part of a larger longitudinal study of SMW's health, the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study. We conducted multivariate analyses to evaluate the influence of 4 groups of predictors variables on smoking: (a) demographic, (b) childhood victimization, (c) other substance use, and (d) health variables. Results: At Wave 1, 30.9% (n = 138) of participants reported current smoking, with substance-use and demographic factors having the strongest relationships to smoking status. The majority (84.9%) of Wave 1 smokers were also smoking at Wave 2. Among demographic variables, level of education was inversely associated with continued smoking. With respect to substance use, hazardous drinking and cocaine/heroin use were significantly associated with continued smoking. None of the victimization or health variables predicted smoking status. Conclusions: Consistent with previous studies, smoking rates in this sample of SMW were elevated. Despite intensive efforts to reduce smoking in the general population, 84% of SMW smokers continued smoking from Wave 1 to Wave 2. Findings suggest that the majority of SMW will continue to smoke over time. Additional research is needed to increase motivation and access to smoking cessation resources.