Current Smoking Trends in the United States

Based on the aggregate of behavioral risk factor surveys, almost one third of adults were smokers in 1982. Overall, significantly fewer Hispanics smoked compared with whites or blacks. Among young adults, however, the rate of smoking was highest among whites compared with blacks and Hispanics. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers--especially young women--had higher rates of other risk behaviors, including alcohol misuse and lack of seat-belt use. Since 1965, the rate of decline of smoking among women has not been as great as that among men, due in part to the high rate--more than 40%--of smoking among young white women. Despite continued decrease in the overall proportion of smokers, the high rate among young women emphasizes the need for continued efforts toward prevention and cessation, before the well-documented health consequences develop.