A report published by an anti-tobacco nonprofit found that 12 contiguous states in the Midwest and South have higher rates of tobacco use than the rest of the nation. Smoking rates in the region are nearly 50% higher than in the rest of the country, according to the study by Truth Initiative.
"Tobacco Nation: A Call to Eliminate Geographic Smoking Disparities in the U.S.," published June 28, is the third installment in the organization's Tobacco Nation series since 2017, according to a news release announcing the report. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia make up the so-called "Tobacco Nation," the release reported.
These states have approximately 21% of the U.S. population but represent more than 28% of all adult smokers nationwide, according to the report. The study reports that 19.2% of adults and 11.2% of young adults in the region smoke, versus 13% of adults and 7.6% of young adults elsewhere in the country. Smokers in Tobacco Nation also smoke significantly more cigarettes per capita annually - 53 packs vs. 29 packs - than people living in other states, the study reported.
As a result, the life expectancy in Tobacco Nation states is 76 years, compared to 79 years in the rest of the U.S., the report states. Despite the documented health problems attributed to tobacco use, the prevalence of smoking in the region is predicted to be 40% higher than the rest of the nation over the next 20 years, according to the study.
The higher smoking rates aren't necessarily due to the preferences of the residents of Tobacco Nation, according to the report. The study reported that people living in the 12 impacted states "have historically supported strong tobacco-control policies at an equal level to residents of states outside the region." However, several factors have kept anti-smoking efforts from advancing, resulting in less restrictive tobacco policies, the report stated.
Lower taxes, which drastically reduce the cost of a pack of cigarettes; lower spending on tobacco prevention and cessation programs; almost no restrictions of sales of flavored tobaccos; and fewer smoke-free policies are examples cited in the report.
Barbara Schillo, Truth Initiative's chief research officer, said in the news release that policies that favor the tobacco industry over public health are partly to blame for the higher prevalence of tobacco use, worse health and shorter life expectancy of people living in Tobacco Nation versus elsewhere in the country.
"No matter where you choose to live, you should have the right to a safe, tobacco-free life," Schillo said in the release. "And unfortunately, that just isn't the case right now in the United States."
"We owe it to all those who live in these states to take strong actions to close these geographic disparities and give them a fighting chance for a healthy, smoke-free life," Schillo said.
