Connecticut Adults Are Kicking The Habit

HARTFORD — Connecticut can boast the fourth lowest adult smoking rate in the nation, according to the latest report from the Department of Public Health (DPH).

The Report on Tobacco Usage Behaviors and Attitudes in Connecticut finds that daily cigarette smoking among adults has decreased from 22.1 percent in 1990 to 13.9 percent in 2003. Nationally, during that same time period, daily smoking rates ranged from 8.6 percent in Utah to 26.8 percent in Kentucky.

“The findings in this comprehensive report have given us tremendous insight into tobacco use in Connecticut,” stated DPH Commissioner J. Robert Galvin. “With this information, we will be able to target our tobacco-use prevention initiatives effectively.”

The report is based on data collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a statewide telephone survey supported and administered annually to adults in every state by the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The BRFSS was developed to monitor state-level and national prevalence of the major behavioral risks associated with illness and premature death.

Tobacco use increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, respiratory disease, and infant mortality. Smoking is estimated to cause more than 5,000 deaths per year in Connecticut, and the annual health care costs directly caused by smoking are approximately $1.5 billion. In addition, smoking-caused productivity losses are approximately $969 million per year.

According to this new report on tobacco use, more than 40 percent of Connecticut smokers or former smokers had their first cigarette before their 15th birthday. Smoking rates were especially high in certain vulnerable populations, such as the uninsured, the unemployed, and those in households with less than $25,000 annual income. The highest smoking rate, 50 percent, was among the 3.8 percent of adults who reported risk factors for HIV/AIDS.

Most smokers would like to quit; more than half, 56.2 percent, of the adult smokers in Connecticut stopped for a day or longer in the past year because they were trying to quit. One of the goals of the Department of Public Health is to increase the rate of quitting. The DPH Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program has established a free cessation service through the Connecticut Quit Line, 800-END-HABIT.

“With our efforts and those of other organizations with an interest in Connecticut’s health, we anticipate a day when Connecticut is smoke-free, and we can all breathe easy,” said Commissioner Galvin.

To view the report and for detailed information on Connecticut state initiatives, legislation and other tobacco health related statistics, visit the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s website at www.dph.state.ct.us.