Today is World No Tobacco Day! Here’s some information to get you started….Did you know that:
- Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, imposing a huge toll on health, lives and dollars on families, businesses and government.
- Tobacco kills more than 400,000 people annually – more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.
- Tobacco costs the U.S. more than $96 billion in health care expenditures and $97 billion in lost productivity each year.
- While the United States has made major progress against tobacco use, one in five Americans still smokes, and about 4,000 kids try their first cigarette each day.
Now let’s take it to Nebraska….Here’s some data to get you thinking about the consequences of tobacco right here in our state.
The Toll of Tobacco in Nebraska
| High school students who smoke |
15.0% (15,600) |
| Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco |
10.2% (females use much lower) |
| Kids (under 18) who become new daily smokers each year |
2,000 |
| Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home |
96,000 |
| Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year |
3.9 million |
| Adults in Nebraska who smoke* |
20.0% (276,500) |
*Due to changes in CDC’s methodology, the 2011 adult smoking rate cannot be compared to adult smoking data from previous years.
U.S. National Data (2011)
| High school smoking rate: |
18.1% |
| Male high school students who use smokeless tobacco: |
12.8% |
| Adult smoking rate |
19.0% |
Deaths in Nebraska from Smoking
| Adults who die each year from their own smoking |
2,200 |
| Kids now under 18 and alive in Nebraska who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking |
36,000 |
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined — and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes — such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and smokeless tobacco use.
Smoking-Caused Monetary Costs in Nebraska
| Annual health care costs in Nebraska directly caused by smoking |
$537 million |
| Portion covered by the state Medicaid program |
$134 million |
| Residents’ state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures |
$573 per household |
| Smoking-caused productivity losses in Nebraska |
$500 million |
Amounts do not include health costs caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, smoking-caused fires, smokeless tobacco use, or cigar and pipe smoking. Tobacco use also imposes additional costs such as workplace productivity losses and damage to property.
Tobacco Industry Influence in Nebraska
| Annual tobacco industry marketing expenditures nationwide |
$8.5 billion |
| Estimated portion spent for Nebraska marketing each year |
$54.0 million |
Published research studies have found that kids are twice as sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults and are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure. One-third of underage experimentation with smoking is attributable to tobacco company advertising.
Join us in participating in the dialogue about World No Tobacco Day! Talk about it and Share it. Leave us a comment, Facebook us, or Tweet us @UNMCCRHD @MOTACOmaha using hashtag: #WNTD2013!
SOURCE: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/nebraska
