California residents reached a benchmark in reducing smoking
rates among adults in 2010, according to statistics released by the
California Department of Public Health July 13.
California residents reached a benchmark in reducing smoking rates among adults in 2010, according to statistics released by the California Department of Public Health July 13.
Last year, the percentage of adults who smoked was 11.9 percent, down from 13.1 percent in 2009, making California one of two states to reach the federal Healthy People 2020 target of reducing adult smoking rates to 12 percent or less.
“The drop in smoking means that fewer people will see their lives cut short by tobacco,” Ron Chapman, the director of the CDPH. “Since the inception of California’s tobacco education efforts in 1990, we have witnessed the declines in lung cancer, heart disease and other tobacco-related illnesses.”
The rate is down across all groups, including men, women and different ages.
“While we take great pride in seeing smoking decrease…smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death and disease, killing more than 400,000 Americans each year,” Chapman said.
Smoking among high school students decreased from 14.6 percent to 13.8 percent. Among middle-schoolers it decreased from 6 percent to 4.8 percent. These statistics are gathered based on students reporting whether or not they had smoked a cigarette in the last 30 days.
The rate for men dropped from 15.6 percent to 14.4 percent. For women, it went from 10.7 percent to 9.4 percent.
The most significant drop across age groups came with a nearly 2 percent decrease among adults ages 25 to 44.
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