Behavioral Healthcare

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The use of cigarettes in combination with other forms of tobacco is linked with higher nicotine addiction, the inability to quit using tobacco and increases chances of tobacco-related health problems, such as stroke, heart disease and tobacco-related cancers, according to an analysis of data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Data from 13 states surveyed indicate that polytobacco use — the use of cigarettes in combination with other forms of tobacco (including cigars; pipes; bidis; kreteks and others) — is most common among men (4.4 percent), people who were single (4.8 percent), young adults ages 18-24 years (5.7 percent), and those with household incomes less than $35,000 (9.8 percent). The report provides statistics about polytobacco use among adults over the age of 18. The report also finds that one in four adults in these states use at least one form of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars or smokeless tobacco.

Other key highlights from the report include the following:

• Use of any tobacco ranged from 18.4 percent in New Jersey to 35 percent in West Virginia.
• Use of any tobacco was higher among non-Hispanic whites (26.2 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (24.4 percent) than among Hispanics (19.7 percent).
• Use of any tobacco was higher among members of an unmarried couple (36.3 percent), single (30.3 percent) or widowed/divorced (29.1 percent) than among married persons (21.2 percent).
• Use of any tobacco was higher among those who had less than a high school education (33.1 percent) when compared to those with some college or more (20.5 percent).
• Polytobacco use ranged from 1.0 percent in New Jersey to 3.7 percent in West Virginia.

Source: CDC, August 5, 2010