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Tennessee Value:
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
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Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
US Value: 8.9%
Top State(s): Utah: 4.0%
Bottom State(s): Tennessee: 14.8%
Definition: Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily or some days
Data Source and Years: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Smoking damages nearly every organ and causes serious health problems, including:
Even among older adults and long-term smokers, smoking cessation has been shown to improve health outcomes. Smoking costs the U.S. over $600 billion annually in direct health care expenditures and productivity losses due to premature death and secondhand smoke.
The prevalence of smoking is higher among:
While the best strategy to reduce the health consequences of smoking is preventing individuals from smoking, there is much to gain through smoking cessation. Quitting smoking at any age can have profound benefits on current health and long-term outcomes. Most of the smoking-attributable risk for cardiovascular disease can be overcome within five years of quitting. The risk for heart attack drops sharply one to two years after quitting, and stroke risk falls to about the same level as nonsmokers about five years after quitting smoking. The risk of lung cancer drops to half that of current smokers 10-15 years after cessation.
Various clinical, community and policy-level interventions have proven effective for smoking prevention and cessation. For example, improving Medicaid coverage of smoking cessation programs is a promising avenue due to the high prevalence of smokers enrolled in Medicaid. Evidence-based interventions and additional resources are available at:
Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to cigarette smoking and smoking cessation, including:
DiGiulio, Anne, Zach Jump, Stephen Babb, Anna Schecter, Kisha-Ann S. Williams, Debbie Yembra, and Brian S. Armour. “State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Treatments and Barriers to Accessing Treatments — United States, 2008–2018.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69, no. 6 (February 14, 2020): 155–60. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6906a2.
Gellert, Carolin, Ben Schöttker, Heiko Müller, Bernd Holleczek, and Hermann Brenner. “Impact of Smoking and Quitting on Cardiovascular Outcomes and Risk Advancement Periods among Older Adults.” European Journal of Epidemiology 28, no. 8 (August 2013): 649–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-013-9776-0.
Shah, Reena S., and John W. Cole. “Smoking and Stroke: The More You Smoke the More You Stroke.” Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy 8, no. 7 (July 2010): 917–32. https://doi.org/10.1586/erc.10.56.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. Publications and Reports of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: 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, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/2020-smoking-cessation/index.html.
“The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General.” Atlanta, GA: 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. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.