South Middlesex Times

The 2024 Surgeon General's Report has highlighted the significant impact of tobacco on public health in the United States, attributing over 490,000 deaths annually to cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Andrea Villanti, deputy director of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies and a senior scientific editor on the report, emphasized that "with one in five U.S. deaths attributable to tobacco and persistent disparities in tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, this report underscores the tremendous impact of commercial tobacco in the U.S. and the disproportionate burden placed on some people and communities."

The report identifies tobacco-related health disparities as a social justice issue, rather than merely a health or economic concern. It highlights persistent disparities in tobacco use based on race, ethnicity, income level, education level, gender identity, occupation type, geography, and behavioral health status. The findings call for reflection on the complex history of tobacco commercialization and experiences of racism and targeted marketing by the industry.

Social and structural interventions are recommended to reduce inequities in tobacco product use and influence from commercial tobacco companies. The report suggests approaches to diminish appeal, affordability, accessibility, addictiveness of tobacco products; eliminate secondhand smoke exposure; conduct prevention media campaigns; and promote barrier-free cessation support access with broad reach to diverse populations.

Further recommendations include assessing structural determinants of health, increasing representation of disparate populations in research, and understanding intervention impacts on tobacco-related health inequities. Villanti noted that "our work on this report spanned the COVID-19 pandemic and social movements that have brought the importance of health equity to the fore in our public health research and practice," describing it as "a clarion call for greater research and action to improve tobacco-related health equity."

Faculty at Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies are engaged in related research projects addressing disinformation and reactions to proposed menthol cigarette bans among Black/African American young adults. Cristine Delnevo served as a reviewer of the report while Allison Glasser contributed as an author along with Ollie Ganz and Melanie LaVake.