All Cabarrus County residents live in communities that support tobacco-free/e-cigarette-free lifestyles.
Adult Smoking
Current Value
17%
Definition
Story Behind the Curve
Partners
What Works
Strategy
Why Is This Important?
Each year approximately 480,000 premature deaths can be attributed to smoking. Cigarette smoking is identified as a cause of various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory conditions, as well as low birthweight and other adverse health outcomes. Measuring the prevalence of tobacco use in the population can alert communities to potential adverse health outcomes and can be valuable for assessing the need for cessation programs or the effectiveness of existing tobacco control programs. A study evaluating the reliability and validity of the self-reported BRFSS measures found high reliability and validity for the “current smoker” responses, confirming that they are a fairly accurate portrayal of the population’s smoking behavior. The term “tobacco” refers to commercial tobacco, not ceremonial or traditional tobacco.
For more information, please visit the Adult Smoking for Cabarrus County Page on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings.
Measure Description
Adult Smoking is the percentage of the adult population in a county who both report that they currently smoke every day or some days and have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
To learn more about the Measure Methods, please visit the Adult Smoking, Measure Methods Section, on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings Website.