This study examines cigarette smokingpatterns amongPuertoRican women responsible for caring for adolescents in two metropolitan areas in the Northeastern United States. The age-adjusted prevalence of cigarette smoking in the caretaker sample was higher than the rates for all adult women in the 1985 National Health Interview Survey and the 1986 Adult Use of Tobacco Survey. Smoking prevalence among the caretakers was very similar to the rate reported byPuertoRican women in theNew York City area interviewed during the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Logistic regression analysis indicated that educational attainment, religious affiliation and marital status influenced the probability that a caretaker currently smokeL Acculturation had a modest positive effect on current smoking. Puerto Rican women may be an important target group for smoking cessation programs because quit rates among ever smokers are still comparatively low and because many of these women are light smokers.
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