Smoking prevalence among members of the GLBT community is more than twice that of heterosexuals, according to the California Department of Health Services. The state average for smoking prevalence among adults is 15.4 percent, but within the GLBT community it’s 30.4 percent.

Survey results were released in September from data gathered in 2003 and 2004 among specific social and racial groups. It was the first statewide survey in the nation to assess tobacco-related behavior, attitudes and knowledge in the GLBT population.

Family Health Centers of San Diego has been awarded a community planning grant by the California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section to develop and implement a program to address tobacco-related issues in San Diego’s GLBT community. The Tobacco Community Planning Group (TCPG) will convene twice a month for nine months to review existing data regarding tobacco and its impact on San Diego’s GLBT community.

Processes and expectations were outlined at the group’s first meeting on Sept. 30, to help people get acquainted with current efforts in San Diego County concerning tobacco control.

“We applied for funding that’s available from the state tobacco control program,” said Bob Lewis, director of HIV services at Family Health Centers of San Diego.

The state grant has two phases, Lewis said. The first phase is a formative process which gives TCPG about nine months to develop a community planning group, examine data that’s specific to San Diego and devise an intervention and evaluation plan that will be funded in phase two.

“Hopefully, in about six to seven months we’ll have a good sense of what our goals and objectives are going to be, and can start formalizing that and come up with an evaluation plan,” Lewis said.

The TCPG group is the direct result of a Communities of Excellence in Tobacco Control for Priority Populations pilot project (CXPP), which was designed to systematically assess a community’s status related to tobacco control issues, as well as build momentum and partnerships for countering tobacco’s harmful impact.

“We’ve taken a quick look at some of the research that’s out there, but won’t actually look in-depth until after we get the training on the Communities of Excellence model,” Lewis said. “It’s based on how they want us to look at it.”

Tony Vaninetti, program manager for the Tobacco Control Resource Program of the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency, worked extensively on the CXPP final report for the GLBT community, which was released in June.

“We wanted to have some idea of the community gatekeepers and community’s readiness for tobacco control efforts,” Vaninetti said.

The six-month study, which began in January, consisted of surveys, key informant interviews and youth focus groups. Questions on the survey included a wide range of issues such as use prevalence, awareness of tobacco advertising, cessation services and perceptions of secondhand smoke. The surveys were distributed to organizations that serve GLBT communities, which were then distributed to clients and members. Some of the organizations included: Being Alive, Bienestar, Hillcrest Youth Center, The Center, San Diego LGBT Pride, Stepping Stone and the North Park Family Health Center.

A total of 56.9 percent of survey respondents indicated cigarette smoking is at least a large problem. Respondents ranked smoking as the sixth top health risk (23.3 percent) behind drugs (62 percent), unprotected sex (54.5 percent), HIV/AIDS (40.6 percent), lack of insurance (35.6 percent) and alcohol (29.5 percent).

Key findings in the CXPP report included: tobacco use as a low priority as a health risk in the county’s GLBT community; tobacco education and prevention messages are not visible enough; health providers lack awareness of smoking cessations resources in the county; tobacco advertising and sponsorship is not perceived as a significant presence in the community; and secondhand smoke is perceived as a significant health risk.

In terms of the ability to quit using tobacco, 41 percent indicated they have the ability to quit, 31.7 percent said they do not, while 27.3 percent were unsure. Only 21.5 percent agreed cessation programs were available specifically for GLBT smokers in the county, while 46.2 percent did not know if programs exist.

The Tobacco Control Section with the California Department of Health Services conducts a statewide assessment of progress made to curb tobacco use every three years. In 2004, the state included priority populations for tobacco control, which include the GLBT, African-American, Native American, Asian Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Latino communities as well as those with low socioeconomic status.

“These communities may be underserved by tobacco control efforts, but are also communities targeted by the big tobacco companies,” Vaninetti said. “The Tobacco Control Section funded a few pilot projects to determine future funding needs. San Diego County’s Tobacco Control Resource Program put an assessment of the GLBT community into its scope of work. Staff wanted to verify suspicions on tobacco control needs and community awareness of the issue.”

A national campaign to help curb tobacco use specifically within the GLBT community for over 10 years has been the Gay American Smokeout. Coinciding with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout on Nov. 17, the Gay American Smokeout was first introduced in 1994 by the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center in San Jose. The smoke-out is typically held on the third Thursday in November, and was not meant to compete with the American Cancer Society’s event, but to combine and strengthen efforts in order to target the GLBT community with culturally appropriate messages.

For more information on the Gay American Smokeout, visit www.gaysmokeout.net. Contact Robert Lewis at (619) 515-2586 to get involved in the TCPG.