State-Specific Prevalence of Quit Attempts Among Adult Cigarette Smokers — United States, 2011–2017

MMWR Introduction

Increasing smoking cessation can reduce smoking-related disease, death, and health care expenditures. The population quit rate is driven by two factors: prevalence of quit attempts and prevalence of successful quitting among smokers who make a quit attempt. Accordingly, increasing quit attempts is an important strategy to increase the population quit rate. To assess state-specific trends in the prevalence of past-year quit attempts among adult cigarette smokers, CDC analyzed data from the 2011–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Guam, and Puerto Rico.

The variation in quit attempt prevalences among states described in this report suggests that states have an opportunity to further increase the prevalence of quit attempts. Increased implementation of proven tobacco control interventions, such as tobacco price increases, smoke-free policies, mass media campaigns, and barrier-free access to evidence-based cessation treatments, can increase the number of smokers who make a quit attempt and who succeed in quitting.

MMWR Highlights

Past-year quit attempts among adult cigarette smokers, 2011–2017

• During 2011–2017, past-year quit attempts increased in four states (Kansas, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia).
• During 2011–2017, past-year quit attempts decreased in two states (New York and Tennessee).
• In 2011, the prevalence of past-year quit attempts ranged from 57.4% (West Virginia) to 71.6% (New York).
• In 2017, the prevalence of past-year quit attempts ranged from 58.6% (Wisconsin) to 72.3% (Guam).

Past-year quit attempts among adult cigarette smokers, by age group, 2017

• The prevalence of past-year quit attempts generally decreased with increasing age.
• By age group, the median prevalence of past-year quit attempts was:
  • 76.4% among persons aged 18–24 years
  • 68.6% among persons aged 25–44 years
  • 60.8% among persons aged 45–64 years
  • 55.8% among persons aged 65 years and older.

Past-year quit attempts among adult cigarette smokers, by region, 2017

• In 2017, the lowest quartile of quit attempt prevalence (58.6%–62.5%) included six states in the Midwest, four states in the South, three states in the West, and one state in the Northeast.