NEW YORK (Reuters) -- While some states are winning the war on smoking, most are not. And the nations' youth may be the ultimate losers, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Smoking decreased in some states while remaining relatively stable in others," according to one of three smoking-related studies released by the CDC Thursday.
For the first time, smoking statistics are being reported on a state-by-state basis to the agency. The CDC says that "Only Utah has achieved the national health objective for the year 2000 of reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults to no more than 15%, (although) this objective has been nearly achieved in California." California's adult-smoking percentage is just 15.5%, while Utah has beat smoking down to 13.2%.
The State whose citizens were most likely to light up is Kentucky, where almost 28% claim to be current smokers. Hawaii logged the most quitters, with almost 60% claiming they had at least tried to quit once over the past year. Georgians were least likely to have quitting on their minds, with just 32.4% attempting to butt out.
These kind of statistics bode ill for the nation's youth, according to a second CDC study. "If current patterns of smoking behavior persist," say the CDC, "an estimated 5 million U.S. persons who were aged 0-17 years in 1995 could die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses." They used a mathematical projection based on past smoking/mortality records to project future outcomes.
Illnesses and deaths "could result in an estimated $200 billion (in 1993 dollars) in future healthcare costs," they add. The CDC say that these sobering figures may even climb higher because both teen smoking and relative risks of smoking are on the increase over the past few years.
But some states might be on the right track in reducing smoking-related deaths and illness. The CDC reports that when a 1992 Massachusetts ballot petition almost doubled the state excise tax on cigarettes, concurrent with a media antismoking campaign, "(cigarette) consumption declined by 19.7%." This, despite a 1993 drop in cigarette prices brought on by the increased popularity of discount brands. The CDC say "this was similar to decreases in California, the only other state to have initiated an extensive statewide antismoking campaign in conjunction with an increase in cigarette taxes."
The study found that in states without similar programs, cigarette consumption over the same time period dropped just an average of 6%.
Dr. Jeffrey Harris, an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of the CDC study, says his state's initiative "has major public health significance. We believe it represents nearly 100,000 fewer smokers in the state."
The agency concludes that "a tax increase combined with an antismoking campaign can be more effective in reducing per capita consumption than a tax increase alone."
The three reports were released in time to help highlight the annual Great American Smokeout on November 21 -- a day when the American Cancer Society urges smokers to give quitting a try. Information on the Smokeout can be obtained by calling 1 (800) 227-2345, or on the Internet at www.cancer.org.
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (1996;45(44):962-966, 966-970, 971-974)
