Deb Pettibone
716-845-8593
[email protected]
AGGRESSIVE TOBACCO CONTROL MEASURES DECREASE ADULT SMOKING
BUFFALO, NY - California's aggressive tobacco control intervention program has resulted in a continuing decline in adult smoking, while nationally, the rate of decline has been stable. The lessons from California may help to decrease adult smoking throughout the United States, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
"There had been a remarkable decline in the national prevalence of smoking among adults from 1965 to 1990. During that period, the rate of smoking among adults decreased from 42% to 26%. However, since 1990, this downward trend has slowed or even halted," said co-author Gary A. Giovino, PhD, Department of Cancer Prevention, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). "Except in California, where the downward trend continued, most likely due to aggressive antismoking measures initiated in 1989."
California was the first state to implement a comprehensive tobacco control program funded by an increase in the state cigarette excise tax (Proposition 99). The authors decided to compare the smoking behaviors of California adults with the remainder of the United States to learn if the program was responsible for the continuing decline in adult smoking.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Battelle Memorial Institute and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, analyzed data from national and state systems for surveillance of tobacco use conducted between 1978 and 1994 that allowed estimation of adult cigarette smoking. Results from the National Health Interview Survey allowed classification of respondents as California residents or non-California residents.
In California and the remainder of the United States, adult smoking prevalence declined more rapidly between 1985 and 1990 than between 1978 and 1985. After this period of accelerated decline, the rate slowed significantly after 1990, to the point where adult smoking prevalence was stable across the United States between 1990-1994, except in California.
"The observation that adult smoking behaviors only declined in California cannot be explained by changes in age, sex, ethnicity or level of education. One possible explanation is that the extensive tobacco control efforts in California influenced adult behavior," notes Dr. Giovino. "As more states extend their efforts against smoking, education and prevention programs must also continue to discourage young people from ever starting to smoke. Additional efforts to protect nonsmokers from environmental tobacco smoke are also warranted and effective."
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first and one of its largest cancer research, treatment and education centers and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Western New York.
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