Fact Sheet - Tobacco

 

• In the U.S., prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among women who are American Indians or Alaska Natives (40.9%), followed by whites (21.8%), African Americans (18.7%), Hispanics (10.8%), and Asians [excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders] (6.5%).

 

• Coronary heart disease and stroke—the primary types of cardiovascular disease caused by smoking—are the 1st and 3rd leading causes of death in the United States. More than 61 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. More than 2,600 Americans die every day because of cardiovascular diseases, about 1 death every 33 seconds.

 

• Toxins in the blood from smoking cigarettes contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, which is a progressive hardening of the arteries caused by the deposit of fatty plaques and the scarring and thickening of the artery wall. Inflammation of the artery wall and the development of blood clots can obstruct blood flow and cause heart attacks or strokes.

 

• Smokers have 2 to 3 times the risk of developing cataracts as compared to nonsmokers. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and a leading cause of visual loss in the United States.

 

• Cigarette smoking mutates DNA, promotes atherosclerosis, and leads to chronic lung injury.

• In 1998, nearly 14 million U.S. women of reproductive age were smokers, and smoking prevalence in this group was higher (25.3%) than in the overall population of women aged 18 years or older (22.0%).

• In 1950, lung cancer accounted for only 3% of all cancer deaths among U.S. women; however, by 2000, it accounted for an estimated 25% of cancer deaths.

• Since 1950, lung cancer mortality rates for U.S. women have increased an estimated 600%. In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer to become the leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. In 2000, about 27,000 more women died of lung cancer (67,600) than breast cancer (40,800). [2001 report]

• Women are more likely to stop smoking during pregnancy, both spontaneously and with assistance, than at other times in their lives. Using pregnancy-specific programs can increase smoking cessation rates, which benefits infant health and is cost effective. However, only one-third of women who stop smoking during pregnancy are still abstinent 1 year after the delivery.

 

• Teens who smoke are 3 times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

• Each year North Dakota brings in less than $19,000,000 in revenue from cigarette taxes, yet pays out $351,000,000 in direct medical and lost productivity expenditures related to smoking.

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