Smoking trends in the America

Posted in Smoking-Related on November 13, 2011.  Last modified on January 30, 2018. Read disclaimer.

Reasons for this decline in smoking include:

• increased taxes on tobacco products
• restrictions on advertising, vending machines and cigarette distribution
• more visible and forceful cigarette labeling
• the banning smoking in public places
• a social attitude that smoking is less acceptable

With the overwhelming number of reasons not to smoke, who's smoking?

Education: According to the 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), education attainment is a strong indicator of prevalence of smoking among Americans ages 25 and over:

General Education Development (GED) graduates: 41.3%
Persons with less than a high school diploma: 27.5%
Undergraduate degree: 10.6%
Graduate degree: 5.7%

Race/Ethnicity: The percentage of adults, ages 18 and over, who were current smokers in 2007/2008

American Indian/Alaska Native: 32.4%
White: 22.0%
Black: 21.3%
Hispanic: 15.8%
Asian: 9.9%

Geographically: The percentage of adults who smoke varies greatly around the country.

States with highest percentage of adults who smoke (April 2011) are:

1. Kentucky: 25.6%
2. West Virginia: 25.5%
3. Oklahoma: 25.4%
4. Mississippi: 23.3%
5. Indiana: 23.1%

States with the lowest percentage of adults who smoke (April 2011) are:

50. Utah: 9.8%
49. California: 12.8%
48. Massachusetts: 14.9%
47. Washington: 14.9%
46. Rhode Island: 15.0%

Gender: The percentage of adults, ages 18 and over, who were current smokers in 2007/2008

Men: 22.7%
Women: 17.9%

Smoking Policies

Nationally, the US government prohibits smoking on flights, buses, most trains and all federal buildings. In addition, many (but not all) states have banned smoking in the workplace (which, in some areas includes restaurants and bars) as well as public places like hospitals, parks and schools. Some states have imposed even further bans on smoking in multiunit housing and personal vehicles when carrying passengers under the age of 17.

Internationally, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Uruguay are countries that have banned smoking nationwide in their workplaces, bars and restaurants.

You may also be interested in reading: Dangers of secondhand smoke

Few health topics have received as much attention or have as the dangers of smoking, tips for how to quit smoking and how to protect yourself and your children from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Some of these include:

http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/healtheffects.html
http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/osh.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm5844.pdf
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/8/m8_2.pdf