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Article: A College Education Does a Better Job in Reducing Smoking Rates Among Blacks Than Among Whites
- Article from:
- The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
- Article date:
- July 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright CH II Publishers, Inc. Summer 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Overall, blacks smoke cigarettes more often than whites. But not so for those adults with a college degree.
Smoking rates have declined substantially in recent years due to a major public health education effort and vastly increased taxes on the sale of cigarettes. Yet smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 440,000 people die each year from smoking-related causes.
Perhaps the most effective weapon in fighting smoking is a college education. Nationwide 34 percent of high school dropouts smoke cigarettes. But only 12.3 percent of all adults with a four-year college degree smoke ...