THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 23, 1994 TAG: 9412230551
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The proportion of American adults who smoke cigarettes dropped to 25 percent in 1993, the lowest figure since the government began taking regular surveys in 1965, a federal office reported Thursday.
Moreover, 70 percent of adults who did smoke said they would like to quit, ``the strongest indication we've ever received that people want to quit smoking,'' said Michael P. Eriksen, director of the Health and Human Services Department's Office on Smoking and Health. The office is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The smoking survey is taken annually and in 1993 was based on a random sample of about 21,000 adults age 18 or older.
The 1993 results found that 46 million people (25 percent of the adult population) were ``current smokers,'' which includes people who smoke daily and people who smoke only on ``some days.'' Of the 46 million, 24 million were men, and 22 million were women. The ``current smoker'' figure was 48 million in 1992 (26.3 percent of adults). The highest proportion of adults ever recorded as smoking was in 1965 - about 43 percent.
Eriksen said that while the overall drop in 1993 was favorable, it could conceivably fall within the margin of sampling error.
But other results of the same survey were beyond the range of sampling error and were highly encouraging, he said.
Among ``current smokers,'' there was a significant reduction in the overall rate among women, from 24.8 percent in 1992 to 22.5 percent in 1993. College graduates and people above the poverty line also showed a decline.
Eriksen said the large proportion of smokers who said they want to quit completely suggests ``a discrepancy between people's desire to quit and their ability to do it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
WHO'S SMOKING?
A breakdown by gender and ethnic group, and the percentage of
smokers in each group for 1993:
Men: 27.7 percent
Women: 22.5
American Indians-Alaskan Natives: 38.7
Blacks: 26 percent
Whites: 25.4
Hispanics: 20.4
Asian-Pacific Islanders: 18.2
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
KEYWORDS: SMOKING STATISTICS by CNB