Federal officials noted that the findings indicate that racial disparities, which are linked to differences in smoking and eating habits, as well as varying access to health-care services, remain a big public-health problem.

In addition to lung cancer, blacks were more likely than any other racial group to die from heart disease and stroke. "Our goal is to eliminate disparities in health among all population groups by 2010," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

CDC Director Dr. Jeffrey Koplan added that the report validated the importance of targeting and tailoring public health campaigns to specific groups.

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