Background: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., yet there is limited research on tobacco use patterns and cessation behaviors among Latinx. Latinx represent a significant proportion of the US population (20%). Smoking-related diseases (cancer and cardiovascular disease) constitute top causes of death for Latinx. Understanding Latinx smoking patterns and treatment preferences is critical for tailoring interventions.

Objective: To examine smoking behaviors, quit motivation, and evidence-based cessation treatment utilization among Latinx primary care patients compared to other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) groups.

Methods: Baseline data from an ongoing clinical trial recruiting BIPOC primary care patients who smoke cigarettes (n = 508) were analyzed, of which 13% (n=65) identified as Latinx. We compared demographics, smoking patterns, nicotine dependence, quit motivation, and treatment use between Latinx and all other BIPOC participants (n=443) using chi-squared Fisher’s Exact tests and t-tests.

Results: Latinx compared to all other BIPOC participants were more likely to be male (61.5% vs. 48.5%, p = 0.05), to speak a language other than English (54.0% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001), and smoked fewer cigarettes per day (M = 7.1 vs. M = 10.3, p < 0.001). They were less likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes (32.8% vs. 67.7%, p < 0.001) and reported lower severity of nicotine dependence (p < 0.001). While motivation to quit was similar, Latinx reported fewer past-month quit attempt (44.3% vs. 62.1%, p = 0.008). The use of telephone cessation counseling was low across both groups (9.2% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.695). Latinx were less likely to use nicotine patches (32.3% vs. 53.7%, p = 0.001) or receive provider recommendations for cessation products (36.9% vs. 59.6%, p < 0.001).

Discussion: Latinx in this study demonstrated lower nicotine dependence but fewer quit attempts. This suggests barriers to quitting, such as limited access to or awareness of effective cessation treatments. Increasing provider recommendations for cessation products could improve outcomes. Future interventions should build on Latinx’ openness to counseling programs and address barriers to medication use to potentially enhance cessation success. Additionally, given that a high proportion of Latinx spoke a language other than English at home, providing more bilingual resources may help reduce barriers to accessing and engaging with cessation support.