New HHS smoking cessation framework is focused on ‘most vulnerable’ populations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services introduced a new 28-page Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation on Friday, an effort to support the Biden-Harris administration’s Cancer Moonshot, which aims to cut cancer-related deaths by at least 50 percent over 25 years. “This framework focuses on advancing equity, engaging communities, and coordinating, collaborating, and integrating evidence-based approaches across every facet of our government and society,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. “The Biden-Harris Administration will continue these efforts,” he said, “until smoking is no longer the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and the communities that remain the most vulnerable get the help they need.” The department’s assistant secretary for health, Adm.
Rachel Levine, said, “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone reaffirming our commitment to helping people who smoke to quit by working to maximize their access to and awareness of evidence-based interventions and programs.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a division of HHS, about 15.3 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes, a figure that is “much higher” than the 11.4 percent of heterosexual adults who do.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual middle and high school aged youth are also likelier to smoke than their straight counterparts. Additionally, a 2017 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that 39.7 percent of transgender adults reported using cigarettes, cigars, or e-cigarette products in the last 30 days, and use of e-cigarettes is four times higher compared to use by cisgender adults.
As a result, the CDC reports that LGBTQ people “have more risk factors for cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease – like high blood pressure – than straight adults.” The agency warns that “if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you likely have seen tobacco ads in
