Cigarette Smoking Among Adults Aged 45 and Older in the United States, 2002-2011
Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. Recent global data indicate that current cigarette smoking prevalence ranges from 5.8% in India to 38.8% in Russia. Prevention efforts for cigarette smoking have focused mainly on adolescents and young adults. To inform tobacco control policy and interventions for a rapidly growing aging population, this chapter reports United States national trends in current cigarette smoking prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of current smoking for two age strata (ages 45-64 and ≥65years). Data from the 2002-2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a large-scale household interview survey of a statistically representative sample of the United States' adult civilian noninstitutionalized population, were analysed to determine national trends in smoking prevalence. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess trends and identify correlates of current smoking. In 2011, 21.4% of adults aged 45-64 and 7.9% of elders aged ≥65years were current cigarette smokers. Between 2002 and 2011, among adults 45-64 years, significant decreases were observed for females, persons above poverty and employed adults; no significant changes in current cigarette smoking prevalence were observed for adults ≥65years. Correlates of smoking were similar in both groups, including being white, less educated and being unemployed. These national data highlight the need for targeted intervention efforts to reduce cigarette smoking among middle aged and older adults.
