National

CDC Vital Signs: Tobacco use
Vital Signs is a monthly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication used to communicate health information on select topics, using Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), fact sheets, a website, media releases, and social media. The September 2010 Vital Signs topic is tobacco use, focusing on the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in the United States. Cigarette smoking rates continue to be high, especially in certain demographic groups, and although smoking rates have decreased in the past thirty years, they have stabilized in the past five years. The reports on secondhand smoke demonstrate that while the percentage of people exposed to secondhand smoke has dropped over the past twenty years, 88 million nonsmokers continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke. This issue of Vital Signs also includes calls to action for tobacco users, non-users, employers, healthcare providers, and state and community leaders. Click here to read more or click here to access the web version of the September 2010 issue of Vital Signs.

Current cigarette smoking among adults aged 18 years - United States, 2009
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that examines the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults in the United States. The 2009 National Health Interview Survey and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to determine national and state smoking prevalence among adults aged 18 and over. Data analysis showed that the overall smoking rate in the U.S. has not changed significantly from 2005 to 2009. According to the 2009 data, the U.S. smoking prevalence was 20.6%, and men, persons below the federal poverty level, and those with less than a high school diploma were most likely to be smokers. For continued progress in reducing tobacco use prevalence, the CDC recommends the implementation of comprehensive tobacco control programs that include expanded smoking cessation services, increased tobacco taxes, media campaigns, and smokefree policies. Click here to read the full report. Related: Adult smoking ranges from 13% to 31% across US states A new poll supports the recently released CDC findings, and indicates that 21% of adults smoke nationwide. Gallup-Healthways conducted telephone interviews of 353,849 employed adults across the country in 2009. While the prevalence of tobacco use varied from state to state, the data corroborate the conclusion from the federal report that the overall U.S. smoking rate has remained stable in recent years. In an analysis to determine patterns regarding state cigarette taxes and smokefree policies, it was found that adults in states with high cigarette taxes are less likely to smoke than those in states with low taxes. States with lower smoking rates tended to score well on the American Lung Association’s “Smokefree Air Challenge” grading system. The data lend support to the CDC’s recommendations for states to raise cigarette taxes and implement smokefree policies to reduce smoking rates. Click here to read more.

State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System updates
The State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System is an electronic data warehouse containing up-to-date and historical state-level data on tobacco use prevention and control. The STATE System has been updated with five new interactive United States maps depicting tobacco prevention and control data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The new maps show adult cigarette use prevalence estimates from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data (1995-2009); youth cigarette use prevalence estimates from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data (1995-2009, odd years); excise tax rates on packs of cigarettes from the STATE System Legislative Database (1995-2010); state laws on preemption of smokefree indoor air, youth access, and advertising from the STATE System Legislative Database (1995-2010); and state laws on smokefree indoor air for private worksites, restaurants, and bars from the STATE System Legislative Database (1995-2010). Click here to view these maps and other STATE System tools.

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