Tobacco is one of the leading risk factors for a range of chronic health conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer (1). Among Americans, cigarette smoking is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths (1, 2). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during 2016, 15.5% percent of US adults 18 years or older were current smokers.
In Oregon, the percentage of adults who are current smokers is around 17.1%.a Smoking in Oregon has decreased from year to year. However, cigarette smoking remains high among certain groups in the population (3). For example, the percentage of Oregonians with disabilities who smoke is 25.6% – nearly twice as high as the percentage of Oregonians without disabilities who smoke (13.1%).b
REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING
The percentage of adults with disabilities who smoke also varies across the state. Smoking is most common along the Oregon coast, in Columbia and Multnomah counties, and in central Oregon. In counties such as Douglas, Coos, Curry, and Josephine about 3 of every 10 adults with disabilities currently smoke.
DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING ACCORDING TO AGE
According to 2016 Oregon data, adults with disabilities in every age group were more likely to smoke than adults without disabilities in the same age group.
ADD Table
DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING ACCORDING TO GENDER
Men with disabilities were more likely to be current smokers than women with disabilities. About 28.5% of men smoke in comparison to 23.4% of women.
Oregonians with disabilities are not only more likely to smoke, but they also smoke more cigarettes per day than adults without disabilities. On average Oregonians with disabilities smoke an average of 15.7 cigarettes per day, whereas adults without disabilities smoke an average of 13.1 cigarettes per day.
READY TO QUIT?
Quitting smoking lowers your risk of smoking-related conditions and may improve your quality of life (2). If you have thought about quitting smoking, or know of someone who would like to quit smoking, check out these tobacco cessation resources for more information.
REFERENCES
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010.
3. Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Section. 2018. Oregon tobacco facts. Available at https://public. health.oregon.gov/PreventionWellness/TobaccoPrevention/Pages/pubs.aspx. [Accessed 2018 July 5]
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