CDC Report: Smoking Rate Steady for Two-Years Running (American Cancer Society)

CDC Report: Smoking Rate Steady for Two-Years Running (American Cancer Society)
The number of adult smokers in the United States hasremainedconstantsince 2004, according to a report published this week by the US Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Based on the CDC's numbers, 20.8% of US adults smoked in 2006,compared to the 20.9% who were smoking in 2004 and 2005, data thatsuggests a marked slowdown from the steady declines seen in previousyears.
Who's Smoking?
The CDC analyzed data from the 2006 National Health InterviewSurvey (NHIS), a questionnaire that evaluated the smoking habits of24,275 adults 18 and older. Of the group, 20.8% currently smoked, andamong those individuals, 44.2% had made an effort to stop smoking inthe last 12 months.
Slightly more men (23.9%) than women (18.0%) still light up.Only 10.4% of Asians surveyed still smoked, followed by Hispanics(15.2%), non-Hispanic whites (21.9%), non-Hispanic blacks (23%), andAmerican Indians/Alaskan Natives (32.4%). And overall, the likelihoodthat a person might smoke decreased as education level increased.
Numbers were especially high among those who had already beendiagnosed with smoking-related chronic diseases (36.9%), includingcertain cancers. That indicates a need for more aggressive cessationmessages directed at this population, the researchers say, especiallygiven data that shows that continued smoking has harmful effects ontreatment and survival.
Behind the Numbers
There are likely several reasons for the standstill in smokingrates. The authors of the study point to the 20.3% decrease in fundingfor comprehensive state-sponsored smoking cessation and preventionprograms from 2002 to 2006. On top of that, many states havere-allocated funds previously devoted to tobacco control, says ThomasJ. Glynn, Ph.D., director of the American Cancer Society's CancerScience and Trends and International Tobacco programs.
Also to blame: tobacco companies have offset the burden ofcigarette price increases by offering coupons, two-for-one deals, andother incentives to smokers, retailers, and wholesalers. Approximately81% of tobacco-industry marketing efforts were related to discountingstrategies, according to the report.
Call to Action
In order to get the numbers down, tobacco control advocatesneed to turn the heat up, Glynn says. The American Cancer Society iscalling for tighter regulations on cigarettes, from increasingworkplace laws and cigarette tax increases to granting the Food andDrug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products.
"Tobacco use rates could even begin to rise rather thanstagnate if strong, effective action is not taken now," says Glynn.
Citation: "Tobacco Use Among Adults --United States, 2006." Published in the Nov. 9, 2007 Morbidityand Mortality Weekly Report (Vol. 56, No. 44:1157-1161). First author: VJ Rock, MPH, US Centers for Disease Controland Prevention.