Missoula Healthy Kids Indicators - 2020
TOBACCO USE
- Tobacco addiction kills more than twice as many people as alcohol abuse, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, homicide illicit drugs, HIV/AIDS and fires COMBINED. CDC Smoking-attributed Mortality, 2004
- Almost 90% of adult smokers took his or her first puff at or before age 18. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, You Need to Know the Truth, 2010
- In Montana, 18,000 kids now under 18 will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, The Toll of Tobacco in MT, 2010
- In Montana, nearly 32% of all cancer deaths are attributed to smoking. That includes 90% of all lung cancer deaths. MT Vital Statistics, 2008
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Each year, approximately 443,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses. For every person who dies from tobacco use, 20 more people suffer with at least 1 serious tobacco-related illness. In addition, tobacco use costs the U.S. $193 billion annually in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. HP 2020
Tobacco use causes:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Lung diseases (including emphysema, bronchitis, and chronic airway obstruction)
- Premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and infant death
There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in adults and a number of health problems in infants and children, including:
- Severe asthma attacks
- Respiratory infections
- Ear infections
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Smokeless tobacco causes a number of serious oral health problems, including cancer of the mouth and gums, periodontitis, and tooth loss.
Cigar use causes cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus, and lung.
HP 2020
Indicator
The rate of adult tobacco use in the US has been slowly declining, from 25% in 1997 to 21% in 2005. The Health People 2020 Target for adult smoking is 12%.
Source: YRBS
| Healthy People 2020 Target | ||||
| Percent of: | Base | Target | ||
| adolescents who smoke | 19.5 | 16 | ||
| adolescents who chew | 8.9 | 6.9 | ||
| adolescent cessation | 58.5 | 64 | ||
| children 3-11 exposed to 2nd hand smoke | 82.2 | 74 | ||
| children 12-17 exposed to 2nd hand smoke | 78 | 70.2 | ||
The US
Dept of Health and Human Services sponsors the
Healthy People
objectives,
a science-based, 10-year national plan for improving the health of all
Americans.
How are we doing
The percent of teens now smoking regularly in Missoula is slightly less than the state as a whole, but represents a significant new population addicted to tobacco.
- The youth smoking rate in Montana has declined from 27% in 2000 to 15% in 2010. The youth smoking rate in Missoula was 12% in 2010.
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For Additional Data and Information important for evaluating this topic, click here
:- Adult tobacco use - US & MT
- Smoking households
- Risky behaviors associated with tobacco use
