Smoky States: Smoking
Rates Vary Widely
Jan. 8, 2004 -- Cigarette smoking rates vary widely across the U.S., from a low
of less than 10% in the U.S. Virgin Islands to a high of almost 33% in Kentucky.
Overall, a new CDC report shows that an average of about one in four American adults is a smoker, but more than half of them tried to quit in the last year.
Researchers analyzed data from the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a periodic nationwide survey of Americans, to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults, attempts to quit, and whether they got advice from their doctor to quit smoking in the last year.
The report shows that only the U.S. Virgin Islands have achieved the Healthy People 2010 objective of reducing the prevalence of current smokers to under 12%.
The number of current smokers was highest in Kentucky (32.6%) followed by Alaska (29.4%), West Virginia (28.4), Tennessee (27.8%), and Indiana (27.7%).
States and U.S. territories with the lowest percentage of smokers were the U.S. Virgin Islands (9.5%), Utah (12.7%), Puerto Rico (13.2%) and California (16.4%).
The study defined current smokers as people who reported having smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and said they currently smoke every day or some days. Here's how all 50 states and three territories measured up:
|
State |
Percentage of Adult Smokers |
|
Alabama |
24.4% |
|
Alaska |
29.4% |
|
Arizona |
23.5% |
|
Arkansas |
26.3% |
|
California |
16.4% |
|
Colorado |
20.4% |
|
Connecticut |
19.5% |
|
Delaware |
24.7% |
|
District of Columbia |
20.4% |
|
Florida |
22.1% |
|
Georgia |
23.3% |
|
Hawaii |
21.1% |
|
Idaho |
20.6% |
|
Illinois |
22.9% |
|
Indiana |
27.7% |
|
Iowa |
23.1% |
|
Kansas |
22.1% |
|
Kentucky |
32.6% |
|
Louisiana |
23.9% |
|
Maine |
23.6% |
|
Maryland |
22.0% |
|
Massachusetts |
19.0% |
|
Michigan |
24.2% |
|
Minnesota |
21.7% |
|
Mississippi |
27.4% |
|
Missouri |
26.6% |
|
Montana |
21.3% |
|
Nebraska |
22.8% |
|
Nevada |
26.0% |
|
New Hampshire |
23.2% |
|
New Jersey |
19.1% |
|
New Mexico |
21.2% |
|
New York |
22.4% |
|
North Carolina |
26.4% |
|
North Dakota |
21.5% |
|
Ohio |
26.6% |
|
Oklahoma |
26.7% |
|
Oregon |
22.4% |
|
Pennsylvania |
24.6% |
|
Rhode Island |
22.5% |
|
South Carolina |
26.6% |
|
South Dakota |
22.6% |
|
Tennessee |
27.8% |
|
Texas |
22.9% |
|
Utah |
12.7% |
|
Vermont |
21.2% |
|
Virginia |
24.6% |
|
Washington |
21.5% |
|
West Virginia |
28.4% |
|
Wisconsin |
23.4% |
|
Wyoming |
23.7% |
|
US Territories: |
|
|
Guam |
32.1% |
|
Puerto Rico |
13.2% |
|
U.S. Virgin Islands |
9.5% |
Most Smokers Try to Quit
The survey showed an average of 52% of smokers tried to quit during the previous year, which is up 7% from the 45% reported in 1996.
Researchers say that increase may reflect a decreased acceptability of smoking, an increase in clean-indoor-air laws and policies, and higher taxes implemented in some states.
Among the residents of the 23 states that were asked whether a doctor had given them advice to quit smoking, an average of 72% had been advised to stop smoking.
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Jan. 9, 2004; vol 52: pp 1277-1280.