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American Indian and Alaska Native People Encounter Barriers to Quitting Successfully										Related Pages
										Most people who smoke want to quit, and more than half try to do so each year. An estimated 56% of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people report wanting to quit.7 Proven treatments, such as FDA-approved medicines and behavioral counseling, make it more likely that people will quit smoking successfully—but AI/AN people who smoke can run into barriers when trying to find and use these treatments:
AI/AN people are less likely than white people to have private health insurance – and more likely to have no health insurance at all.44 About 43% of AI/AN people rely on Medicaid or other public insurance coverage.45 Still, as of 2018, only 15 state Medicaid programs fully covered commercial tobacco* cessation (quitting) services for all enrollees in traditional Medicaid.46Click to Enlarge
To provide advice on how to quit, health care providers first routinely screen their patients for commercial tobacco use.
Only 56% of outpatient health care visits with AI/AN adults included tobacco use screening in 2005-2008.47
Only 38% of AI/AN adults who smoked and visited a health care provider in the last year received health professional advice to quit in 2015.48These factors may help to explain why AI/AN people quit smoking at lower rates than other racial/ethnic groups.7,49
Connecting every person who wants to quit with treatment proven to help them quit for good is important for improving people’s health.Examples of strategies that states and communities can use are:clipboard icon**Provide barrier-free, widely promoted coverage for all evidence-based cessation treatments by all types of health insurance.**For example, as of 2018, only 15 state Medicaid programs fully covered tobacco cessation (quitting) services for all enrollees in traditional Medicaid.46stethoscope icon**Integrate clinical screening and treatment for commercial tobacco use in all health care settings and with all types of patients.**Community health centers and low-cost health clinics serve people who are more likely to use commercial tobacco products. Talking to people about commercial tobacco use and quitting as a regular part of health care visits in these settings will help make sure that all groups can get effective treatment to help them quit.50,51Two people and a heart icon**Support AI/AN public health professional in creating, selecting, and sharing tobacco prevention strategies, including strategies for encouraging and supporting cessation, that work in tribal settings.**When it comes to health issues, one size does not fit all. Different people and communities have varying needs and make decisions in different ways. Providing support, learning opportunities, and culturally tailored technical assistance in collaboration with AI/AN health experts can enhance efforts to reduce the health burden of commercial tobacco in communities.52No smoking conversation icon**Share health messages that population groups identify with and that are created by specific cultural groups.**Mass media campaigns are proven to increase smoking cessation, prevent tobacco use initiation, and reduce the prevalence of tobacco use.7,14 Anti-commercial tobacco messaging and mass media campaigns can have an impact when they speak to people using familiar terms and images. One organization creating messages like this for Indigenous people is the American Indian Commercial Tobacco Program.Top of PagePublicationsAmerican Indian Adult Tobacco Survey Implementation Manual [PDF – 3 MB]
How We Can Protect Our Children and Traditions from Secondhand Smoke [PDF – 5.34 MB]
Native American Action Plan: Addressing Tobacco Abuse Among Pregnant & Postpartum Women [PDF – 2.69 MB]WebsitesCancer Incidence Among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations in Urban Indian Health Organization Service Areas, 2008-2017
Americans For Nonsmokers’ Rights
Keep It Sacred National Native NetworkTop of Page
**“Commercial tobacco” means harmful products that are made and sold by tobacco companies. It does not include “traditional tobacco” used by Indigenous groups for religious or ceremonial purposes*.
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						Page last reviewed:  June 27, 2022					Content source: 	Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion homeHomeOffice on Smoking and Health (OSH)plus iconOSH Partners with StatesFunding Opportunity AnnouncementsInteragency Committee on Smoking and Healthplus iconMembership RosterNewsroomStay ConnectedOrganizationSmoking & Tobacco Use FeaturesQuit Smokingplus iconHow to Quitplus iconBenefits of QuittingBasic Informationplus iconHealth Effectsplus iconCancerHeart Disease and StrokeChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)Smoking During PregnancyEquality in Smoking & Disease: Nobody Wins!Electronic Cigarettesplus iconAbout Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes)Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young AdultsEmpower Vape-Free Youth CampaignMenthol Tobacco Productsplus iconState Menthol Fact SheetsMenthol Tobacco Products are a Public Health ProblemMenthol Smoking and Related Health DisparitiesAddressing Menthol Tobacco ProductsHeated Tobacco ProductsYouth Tobacco PreventionCommercial Tobacco and Health Equityplus iconBlack and African American Peopleplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsSecondhand SmokeQuitting TobaccoAmerican Indian and Alaska Native Peopleplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsSecondhand SmokeQuitting TobaccoAsian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Peopleplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsQuitting TobaccoHispanic and Latino Peopleplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsSecondhand SmokeQuitting TobaccoLGBTQ+ Peopleplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsQuitting TobaccoPeople Across Geographic Regionsplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsSecondhand SmokeQuitting TobaccoPeople with Behavioral Health Conditionsplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsCommercial Tobacco Product Use and Behavioral Health Conditions can Affect Each OtherQuitting TobaccoPeople with Low Socioeconomic Statusplus iconHealth BurdenUnfair and Unjust Practices and ConditionsSecondhand SmokeQuitting TobaccoSecondhand Smokeplus iconGeneral InformationTrends and DisparitiesHealth ProblemsSecondhand Smoke in the CommunitySecondhand Smoke in the HomeSmokefree PoliciesResourcesGoing Smokefree Mattersplus iconBars and RestaurantsCasinosIn Your HomeMultiunit HousingSurgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Useplus icon2020 SGR—Smoking Cessation2016 SGR—E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young AdultsHistorical ReportsA Brief HistoryArchiveData and Statisticsplus iconFast Facts and Fact Sheetsplus icon**Smoking and Cigarettes**Diseases and DeathHealth Effects of Cigarette SmokingTobacco-Related MortalityCigarette Smoking in the U.S.Adult DataCessationCost and ExpendituresEconomics**Smokeless Tobacco**Health EffectsProducts and MarketingSmokeless Tobacco Product Use in the United States**Other Tobacco Products**CigarsHookahsLow Yield Cigarettes**Secondhand Smoke****Youth Tobacco Use**Youth DataSmoking in the MoviesTrends in Tobacco Use Among Youth**Tobacco Industry**Tobacco Brand PreferencesIndustry MarketingSurveysplus iconNational Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS)Alaska Native Adult Tobacco Survey Guidance ManualAmerican Indian Adult Tobacco SurveyScientific Evidence BriefsSTATE SystemMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR)Vital SignsPatient Careplus iconPatient Care Settings and Smoking Cessationplus iconCardiovascular Care SettingsRespiratory Care SettingsCancer Care SettingsMaternal and Infant Care SettingsClinical Interventions to Treat Tobacco Use and Dependence Among AdultsClinical Cessation ToolsPatient Cessation MaterialsQuitlines and Other Cessation Support ResourcesClinical Education and TrainingE-Cigarettes and Patient CareState and Community Workplus iconTobacco Control Programsplus iconCessation Materials for Tobacco Control ProgramsNetworking2Save: Co-op AgreementGuidelines and ResourcesProgram FundingEvidence Based Guides for StatesState Fact SheetsTobacco Ingredient and Nicotine ReportingTobacco Counter-Marketing CampaignGlobal Tobacco Controlplus iconAbout Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS)GTSSDataThe Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) AtlasHelp & Glossaryplus iconGlossaryData and DocumentationUsing the GTSSData HomepageUsing the GTSSData Explorer PageContact UsMultimedia & Toolsplus iconMedia Campaign Resource Center (MCRC)Publication Catalog To receive email updates about Smoking & Tobacco Use, enter your email address: Email Address			What's this				Submit
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