State-specific prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults--United States, 2002.

Cigarette smoking in the United States causes serious illnesses among an estimated 8.6 million persons and approximately 440,000 deaths annually, resulting in 157 billion dollars in health-related economic costs. To reduce smoking prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and economic impact, state tobacco-control programs should include interventions to help persons stop smoking. To assess the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults, attempts to quit, and receipt of physician advice to quit during the preceding year, CDC analyzed data from the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated a threefold difference in smoking prevalence across the 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (range: 9.5%-32.6%). To support smokers' attempts to quit, states/areas should implement comprehensive tobacco-control programs that include interventions to help persons stop smoking (e.g., quitlines).