Higher tobacco taxes, tough messages contributing to decline
TUESDAY, Sept. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. smoking rate continues to decline, with 15.2 percent of adults reporting they’re current smokers, down from 16.8 percent in 2014 and 17.8 percent in 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.
The new data come from the CDC’s 2015 National Health Interview Survey, an annual survey that tracks a variety of public health issues. Estimates based on 2015 data were calibrated to 2010 census-based population estimates for sex, age, and race/ethnicity of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population, according to the CDC.
The smoking rate has fallen dramatically since 1965, when 42 percent of adults smoked, the CDC said. But between 2004 and 2009, progress stalled, and the U.S. smoking rate hovered around 20 percent.
More men smoke than women — 17.4 percent compared with 13 percent, the CDC reported. Race also plays a factor, with more blacks (18.1 percent) smoking than whites (17.1 percent) or Hispanics (10.4 percent).
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