Our top issues

In our fight to end youth and young adult nicotine addiction, we focus on the issues that matter most. We constantly monitor the latest topics and trends in commercial tobacco and substance use.

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Who we are

At Truth Initiative, we envision a future free from nicotine addiction—a future that fosters healthier lives and a more resilient nation. We are the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all.

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Research & resources

Get the latest facts and analyses on the most important issues related to smoking, vaping, nicotine and substance use.

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What we do

By driving behavior and policy change, we prevent addiction, increase quitting, reduce nicotine dependence, and expand cessation support and access. All backed by rigorous research and evaluation.

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Join us in preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all. Learn about how you can help create a future free from nicotine addiction through activism, scholarships, studies, and more. Let’s work together.

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Respira Vida

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Cultural connections to achieve freedom from nicotine addiction

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Community Coalition

Respira Vida – part of the Culture + Cessation Collective – is a coalition of community leaders dedicated to addressing community-specific challenges facing Latino individuals impacted by tobacco use and nicotine addiction. These communities experience a disproportionate burden from tobacco and nicotine addiction due to a combination of factors, including a history of targeted marketing from the tobacco industry, a lack of culturally competent cessation services, and systemic inequities, from social stressors to historical mistrust of medical institutions.

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Tobacco use and nicotine addiction

Latino communities face unique obstacles to receiving cessation support, including language barriers, systemic health disparities, and cultural stigmas related to healthcare.

  • Hispanic smokers have had lower odds of receiving cessation advice from a health professional or using evidence-based treatment like counseling or medication, compared to White and Black smokers.
  • Hispanic and Latino American adults generally report a lower prevalence of cigarette smoking compared to national averages, but smoking prevalence varies drastically by subgroups within this population and U.S. -born Hispanic Americans face higher cancer risk compared to those in their country of origin due to the adoption of behaviors such as smoking.
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