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Complete Indicator Profile of Tobacco Use: Adult Smoking Prevalence
Definition
A current smoker is defined as a person 18 years or older who has smoked more than 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime and currently smokes every day or some days.Numerator
Number of survey respondents who reported they were current smokersDenominator
Total number of BRFSS survey respondentsWhy Is This Important?
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. One in five adults and one in four youth smoke in New Mexico. About half of all lifetime smokers will die early because of their decisions to smoke. In New Mexico, about 2,100 people die from tobacco use annually and another 42,000 are living with tobacco-related diseases. Annual smoking-related costs in New Mexico are $928 million ($461 million in direct medical costs and $467 million in lost productivity).Other Objectives
New Mexico's Community Health Status IndicatorsHow Do We Compare With U.S.?
New Mexico's cigarette smoking rates are similar to those found in the United States, overall, and have been decreasing at about the same rate, as well.Evidence-based Practices
Addressing tobacco use is best done through a coordinated effort to establish smoke-free policies and social norms, to promote and assist tobacco users to quit, and to prevent initiation of tobacco use. This comprehensive approach combines educational, clinical, regulatory, economic, and social strategies. Research has documented strong or sufficient evidence in the use of the following strategies:- Increasing the unit price of tobacco products
- Restricting minors' access to tobacco products; restricting the time, place, and manner in which tobacco is marketed and sold
- Strategic, culturally appropriate, and high impact health communication messages (mass media), including paid TV, radio, billboard, print, and web-based advertising at state and local levels
- Ensuring that all patients seen in the health care system are screened for tobacco use, receive brief interventions to help them quit, and are offered more intensive counseling and low- or no-cost cessation medications; providing insurance coverage of tobacco use treatment; phone- and web-based cessation services are effective and can reach large numbers of tobacco users;
- Passage of laws and policies in a comprehensive tobacco control effort to protect the public from secondhand exposure
- Focusing tobacco prevention and cessation interventions on populations at greatest risk in an effort to reduce tobacco-related health disparities
Sources: CDC. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs - 2007 (published October 2007). (www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/best_practices/index.htm)
The Guide to Community Preventive Services: Tobacco Use - 2010 (www.thecommunityguide.org/tobacco/index.html)
Available Services
1-800-QUIT NOW is a free helpline available to New Mexicans who are interested in quitting tobacco. Free nicotine patches or gum are available while supplies last.More Information
Visit www.nmtupac.com for full information about the NM Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program.Related Indicators
Related Relevant Population Characteristics Indicator Profiles:
- Tobacco Use: Adult Smokeless Tobacco Prevalence
- Tobacco Use: Youth Smokeless Tobacco Prevalence
- Tobacco Use: Youth Smoking Prevalence
Graphical Data Views
Adult Smoking Prevalence by Year, New Mexico vs. US 2000-2010
| New Mexico vs. U.S. | Year | Percentage of Adults | Lower Limit | Upper Limit | Numerator | Denominator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 2000 | 23.6% | 21.9% | 25.3% | 3,242 | |
| New Mexico | 2001 | 23.9% | 22.2% | 25.6% | 3,602 | |
| New Mexico | 2002 | 21.2% | 19.8% | 22.8% | 976 | 4,663 |
| New Mexico | 2003 | 22.0% | 20.7% | 23.4% | 1,176 | 5,480 |
| New Mexico | 2004 | 20.3% | 19.1% | 21.6% | 1,288 | 6,382 |
| New Mexico | 2005 | 21.5% | 20.0% | 23.1% | 1,114 | 5,573 |
| New Mexico | 2006 | 20.1% | 18.8% | 21.6% | 1,263 | 6,560 |
| New Mexico | 2007 | 20.8% | 19.4% | 22.3% | 1,278 | 6,584 |
| New Mexico | 2008 | 19.4% | 17.9% | 20.9% | 1,112 | 6,210 |
| New Mexico | 2009 | 17.9% | 16.6% | 19.3% | 1,483 | 8,813 |
| New Mexico | 2010 | 18.5% | 16.9% | 20.1% | 1,114 | 6,976 |
| U.S. | 2000 | 23.2% | ||||
| U.S. | 2001 | 23.2% | ||||
| U.S. | 2002 | 23.2% | ||||
| U.S. | 2003 | 22.0% | ||||
| U.S. | 2004 | 20.9% | ||||
| U.S. | 2005 | 20.6% | ||||
| U.S. | 2006 | 20.1% | ||||
| U.S. | 2007 | 19.8% | ||||
| U.S. | 2008 | 18.4% | ||||
| U.S. | 2009 | 17.9% | ||||
| U.S. | 2010 | 17.3% |
Record Count: 22
Data Sources
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.Adult Smoking Prevalence by County 2008-2010
| County | Percentage of Adults | Lower Limit | Upper Limit | Note | Numerator | Denominator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo | 16.9% | 15.1% | 18.8% | 557 | 3,774 | |
| Catron | 13.3% | 6.9% | 24.3% | WARNING: Data not stable. | 12 | 73 |
| Chaves | 22.3% | 18.2% | 27.0% | 179 | 925 | |
| Cibola | 18.1% | 13.6% | 23.7% | 85 | 433 | |
| Colfax | 25.4% | 17.8% | 34.9% | 50 | 252 | |
| Curry | 22.3% | 17.8% | 27.5% | 121 | 595 | |
| De Baca | ** | Results suppressed because of small sample size. | ** | 40 | ||
| Dona Ana | 15.5% | 13.1% | 18.2% | 229 | 1,780 | |
| Eddy | 21.3% | 17.2% | 26.2% | 141 | 756 | |
| Grant | 19.2% | 13.5% | 26.6% | 70 | 421 | |
| Guadalupe | 24.7% | 14.3% | 39.3% | 16 | 52 | |
| Harding | ** | Results suppressed because of small sample size. | ** | 25 | ||
| Hidalgo | 27.9% | 9.1% | 60.0% | WARNING: Data not stable. | 7 | 51 |
| Lea | 21.4% | 17.1% | 26.5% | 138 | 718 | |
| Lincoln | 21.2% | 14.6% | 29.6% | 54 | 291 | |
| Los Alamos | 10.7% | 6.2% | 17.7% | 19 | 289 | |
| Luna | 17.7% | 12.7% | 24.1% | 60 | 274 | |
| McKinley | 14.5% | 11.8% | 17.6% | 179 | 1,374 | |
| Mora | 18.2% | 10.4% | 29.8% | 16 | 74 | |
| Otero | 23.5% | 18.9% | 28.8% | 159 | 776 | |
| Quay | 27.9% | 20.9% | 36.2% | 51 | 195 | |
| Rio Arriba | 20.7% | 15.8% | 26.7% | 98 | 577 | |
| Roosevelt | 20.5% | 14.9% | 27.5% | 51 | 240 | |
| Sandoval | 13.8% | 11.5% | 16.5% | 210 | 1,464 | |
| San Juan | 24.2% | 21.0% | 27.8% | 414 | 2,056 | |
| San Miguel | 24.6% | 18.2% | 32.4% | 74 | 324 | |
| Santa Fe | 15.4% | 13.0% | 18.3% | 232 | 1,887 | |
| Sierra | 29.7% | 20.3% | 41.1% | 44 | 186 | |
| Socorro | 16.2% | 11.1% | 23.0% | 43 | 226 | |
| Taos | 17.3% | 13.5% | 22.1% | 83 | 494 | |
| Torrance | 35.6% | 25.2% | 47.6% | 49 | 205 | |
| Union | 12.0% | 5.9% | 22.9% | WARNING: Data not stable. | 12 | 67 |
| Valencia | 25.1% | 21.1% | 29.5% | 233 | 990 | |
| NM | 18.6% | 17.7% | 19.5% | 3,709 | 21,999 | |
| US | 17.9% |
Record Count: 35
Adult Smoking Prevalence, 2008-2010, County Quartile Map
A "Quartile" map assigns areas to four groups. Each group includes the SAME NUMBER of areas. Group membership and map color are based on the rank order of area rates, from the lowest rate to the highest. The bottom 25% (bottom quartile) of areas has the lowest rates, the next 25% has the second lowest rates, the next 25% has the second highest rates and the top 25% of areas has the highest rates. Areas with the darkest color have the highest rates. Percentile maps such as this assign areas to different groups regardless of how close the rates actually are. In other words, just because two areas are in different groups doesn't necessarily mean that their rates are significantly different.
Data Notes
Data were not available for some counties due to insufficient numbers of people (fewer than 50) from those counties who were surveyed in the BRFSS. For 2008-2010, De Baca and Harding counties did not meet the DOH small numbers rule. The county-level BRFSS data used for this smoking indicator were weighted to be representative of the New Mexico Health Region populations. Had the data been weighted to be representative of each county population, the results would likely have been different.Data Sources
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.Adult Smoking Prevalence by Race and Ethnicity 2008-2010
| Race | Percent Current Smokers | Lower Limit | Upper Limit | Numerator | Denominator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 22.1% | 18.7% | 25.9% | 319 | 1,901 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 17.5% | 9.8% | 29.4% | 23 | 214 |
| Black/African American | 26.5% | 18.8% | 35.9% | 61 | 274 |
| Hispanic | 19.6% | 18.1% | 21.2% | 1,203 | 6,742 |
| White | 17.2% | 16.1% | 18.2% | 2,048 | 12,537 |
| New Mexico | 18.6% | 17.7% | 19.5% | 3,709 | 21,999 |
| United States | 17.9% |
Record Count: 7
Data Notes
US data are from 2009. For definitions of NMDOH race/ethnic categories, visit the NM-IBIS page on Race and Ethnicity Measurement and Reporting: http://ibis.health.state.nm.us/resources/RacEth.html.Data Sources
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.Adult Smoking Prevalence by Sex and Year, New Mexico 2001-2010
Adult Smoking Prevalence by Age Group, New Mexico 2008-2010
Adult Smoking Prevalence by Household Income, New Mexico 2008-2010
Adult Smoking Prevalence by Educational Achievement, New Mexico 2008-2010
Page Content Updated On 04/26/2012,
Published on 06/14/2012
