Important Facts for Smoking Among Adults
Definition
Current smoking: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who smoke cigarettes every day or some days.[[br]] [[br]] Quit attempt: Percentage of current smokers aged 18 years and older who reported that they stopped smoking for one day or longer in the past 12 months because they were trying to quit.Numerator
Current smoking: Number of adults aged 18 years and older who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their life time and who now report smoking cigarettes every day or some days.[[br]] [[br]] Quit attempt: Number of survey respondents who reported being current smokers and stopping smoking for one day or longer in the past 12 months because they were trying to quit.Denominator
Current smokers: Number of adults aged 18 years and older.[[br]] [[br]] Quit attempt: Number of survey respondents who reported being current cigarette smokers.Data Interpretation Issues
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey is conducted with a representative sample of non-institutionalized Utah adults living in households with a landline telephone. In 2010, the BRFSS added cell phone interviews to the survey protocol and introduced a new weighting methodology that better represents populations of low socioeconomic status. More details about these changes can be found at: [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/pdf/opha/resource/brfss/RakingImpact2011.pdf]. Due to these changes survey results from the years before 2010 are not comparable to results observed in 2010 or later. The 2010 estimated adult smoking rate was higher compared to rates from previous years that were based on post-stratification by age, sex, and local health district. As with all telephone surveys, data may be subject to error as resulting from non-coverage (e.g., lower telephone coverage among some low SES populations), non-response (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g. social desirability or recall bias). Interviewer training and monitoring and strict adherence to good survey research protocols reduce errors from these sources.Why Is This Important?
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. In Utah, smoking claims more than 1,300 lives each year. It causes or worsens nearly every chronic condition and contributes to the primary causes of death in Utah including heart disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. Smoking increases the risk for cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder and contributes to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys. Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer among nonsmokers.Healthy People Objective TU-1.1:
Reduce cigarette smoking by adultsU.S. Target: 12.0 percent
State Target: 9.0 percent