Tobacco Product Use Among Adults—United States, 2017

November 9, 2018 / Vol. 67 / No. 44

MMWR Introduction

Although cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has declined considerably, tobacco products have evolved in recent years to include various combustible, noncombustible, and electronic products. To assess recent national estimates of tobacco product use among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years, CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute analyzed data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Full implementation of comprehensive tobacco control programs at the national, state, and local levels, including tobacco price increases, high-impact anti-tobacco mass media campaigns, comprehensive smoke-free laws, and barrier-free access to tobacco cessation counseling and approved medications, along with FDA regulation of tobacco products, can accelerate progress toward reducing tobacco-related death and disease in the United States.

MMWR Highlights

Percentage of adults aged 18 years or older who reported tobacco product use “every day” or “some days,” by tobacco product type, 2017

• Cigarettes: 14%.
• Cigars, cigarillos, or filtered little cigars: 3.8%.
• Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes): 2.8%.
• Smokeless tobacco: 2.1%.
• Pipes, water pipes, or hookahs: 1.0%.
• Any combustible tobacco product: 16.7%.
• Used 2 or more tobacco products: 3.7%.

Percentage of adults aged 18 years or older who reported any tobacco product use “every day” or “some days”

• By sex, 24.8% of men and 14.2 % of women used any tobacco product.
• By age group, 18.3% of adults aged 18 to 24 years, 22.5% of adults aged 25 to 44 years, 21.3% of adults aged 45 to 64 years, and 11.0% of adults aged 65 years or older used any tobacco product.
• By race or ethnicity, 29.8% of non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives, 27.4% of non-Hispanic multiracial adults, 21.4% of non-Hispanic whites, 20.1% of non-Hispanic blacks, 12.7% of Hispanics, and 8.9% of non-Hispanic Asians used any tobacco product.
• By U.S. region, 23.5% of adults in the Midwest, 20.8% of adults in the South, 15.6% of adults in the Northeast, and 15.9% of adults in the West used any tobacco product.
• By education level, 42.6% of adults with a GED, 24.3% of adults with a high school diploma, 26.1% of adults with 12 years of education or less and no diploma, 23.1% of adults with some college but no degree, 20.4% of adults with an associate degree, 12.5% of adults with an undergraduate degree, and 8.3% of adults with a graduate degree used any tobacco product.
• By annual household income, 26.0% of adults earning less than $35,000, 20.5% of adults earning $35,000–$74,999, 18.4% of adults earning $75,000–$99,999, and 13.5% of adults earning more than $100,000 used any tobacco product.
• By marital status, 23.1% of adults who were divorced, separated, or widowed; 21.0% of adults who were single, never married, or not living with a partner; and 17.6% of adults who were married or living with a partner used any tobacco product.
• By health insurance coverage, 31.0% of uninsured adults, 28.2% of adults on Medicaid, 26.8% of adults with other public insurance, 16.2% of adults with private insurance, and 11.0% of adults with Medicare only used any tobacco product.
• By disability status, 25.0% of adults with a disability and 18.8% of adults with no disability used any tobacco product.
• By sexual orientation, 27.3% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual adults and 19.0% of heterosexual or straight adults used any tobacco product.
• By serious psychological distress status, 40.8% of adults with serious psychological distress and 18.5% of adults with no serious psychological distress used any tobacco product.