The figures were released recently by the CDC and also found that the use of tobacco products (a label which inaccurately also refers to nicotine safer alternatives which contain no tobacco, such as e-cigarettes) varies from state to state. Just under 7% of women in California reported smoking or vaping in comparison to as many as 75% in West Virginia doing so, revealed the data.
Current tobacco use was found to be highest among women aged between 45 to 64, at just over 14%, and among those of American Indian and Alaska Native origin, at 21%.
Approximately 20% of women in Kentucky and Oklahoma reported cigarette or e-cigarette consumption, while smoking rates are about 15% or more in many states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming, reported the CDC.
Current tobacco use was found to be highest among women aged between 45 to 64, at just over 14%, and among those of American Indian and Alaska Native origin, at 21%, according to the CDC. The report also concluded that over all use has overall declined since 2017, when it was at 14%, and it mainly consists of smoking.
“Although cigarette smoking among women has declined over time, tobacco product use among women across states is still primarily driven by combustible tobacco product use from cigarette smoking,” the CDC researchers wrote. “Multiple social, environmental, and personal factors influence tobacco use among women,” who, research indicates, may be more susceptible to peer pressure to take up the habit in their youth.”
Teen tobacco use drops
More CDC data released last December has indicated that the rate has dropped amongst teens, and while combustible cigarette use remains significantly lower than e-cigarette use, the latter has also dropped.
One in six U.S. teens used tobacco, reported the CDC. “Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were the most commonly used tobacco product among high school (19.6%; 3.02 million) and middle school (4.7%; 550,000) students,” read the CDC report.
“From 2019 to 2020, decreases in current use of any tobacco product, any combustible tobacco product, multiple tobacco products, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco occurred among high school and middle school students; these declines resulted in an estimated 1.73 million fewer current youth tobacco product users in 2020 than in 2019 (6.20 million),” continued the report.
Read Further: UPI
