2006 Georgia data summary: tobacco use [Aug. 2006]

2006 Georgia Data Summary:
TOBACCO USE

Tobacco use costs Georgia an estimated $5 billion every year.

The burden of tobacco-related illness among adults in Georgia is high.

DEATHS

Deaths among adults ages 35 years and older, Georgia, 2004

Over 10,000 Georgians die every year from tobaccorelated illnesses that is one out of every six adult Georgians who die.
63% of tobacco-related deaths occur in males.
Cancer accounts for 43% of all adult deaths due to smoking, while cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases account for 31% and 26% of all adult deaths due to smoking, respectively.

Attributed to s m oking 17%

CVD* 31%
Cancer 43%

RD* 26%

Adult smokers lose an average of 16.4 years of life compared to adult non-smokers.

Total adult deaths = 61,556

Adult deaths attributed to smoking = 10,158

LUNG CANCER MORTALITY
Lung cancer accounts for 79% of all smoking-related cancer deaths in Georgia.

*CVD = Cardiovascular Diseases; RD= Respiratory Diseases
Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates* by race and sex, Georgia, 1998-2002

Lung cancer is the principal cause of cancer deaths for males and females.
BEHAVIORS: YOUTH
7% of middle and 17% of high school students in Georgia smoke cigarettes.
9% of middle school male students and 6% of middle school female students are smokers.
19% of high school male students and 15% of high school female students are smokers.
More than two-thirds (70%) of middle school smokers and more than a half (56%) of high school smokers live with a smoker.
Nearly one-third of middle school (29%) and high school (31%) non-smokers live with a smoker.
More than one-third (36%) of middle school students and nearly three-fourths (73%) of high school students buy their cigarettes at gas stations or convenience stores.

Rate per 100,000

Percent

Incidence

140 116

120

101

100

80

60

40

20

0

109 91

Black males

White males

Mortality

40 31

56 43

Black

White

females females

*Rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population

Percent of cigarette smokers by school type and sex, Georgia, 2005

Male

Female

50

40

30

20

10

9

6

19 15

0 Middle School

High School

Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health 2 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 657-3103 gdphinfo@dhr.state.ga.us http://health.state.ga.us

BEHAVIORS: ADULTS
22% of adult Georgians ages 18 and older smoke cigarettes.
25% of adult males and 19% of adult females are smokers.
Adults with less than a high school education are more likely than adults with a high school education or above to smoke cigarettes.
Rural counties in the northwest and southeast regions of the state have the highest adult smoking prevalence.

Percent

Percent of adult smokers ages 18+ by education and sex, Georgia 2005

50

40

37 30

30

20

10

Male Female

32 22

26 21

12 11

0

<HS

HS/GED Some College College Graduate

POLICY
Over 90% of public schools in Georgia have adopted policies prohibiting tobacco use.
90% of worksites in Georgia have a formal policy prohibiting smoking on the job.
Worksites with 250 or more employees are more likely than smaller worksites to have formal policies.
8% of worksites in Georgia offer smoking cessation programs to their employees.
83% of health maintenance organizations in Georgia offer assessment and counseling for tobacco cessation to all their members.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
$1.8 billion in healthcare costs among adults 18 years and older.
$3.3 billion in lost productivity costs among adults 35 years and older.
Adult cigarette smokers are defined as those who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and are currently smoking.
Youth cigarette smokers are defined as those who have smoked at least one cigarette in the last 30 days.
Data sources: 1. Georgia Vital Statistics, 2004; CDC SAMMEC web application (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/sammec/). 2. Lung Cancer in Georgia, 1999-2002 report, Publication Number: DPH06/006W. 3. 2005 Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (http://health.state.ga.us/epi/brfss/publications.asp). 4. 2005 Georgia Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp). 5. 2005 Georgia Youth Tobacco Survey (http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/tobaccouse.asp). 6. 2002 Georgia Student Health Education Profile Survey (http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/policy.asp). 7. 2004 Georgia Health Plan Survey (http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/policy.asp).
Date updated: August 2006 Publication number: DPH06/142HW Visit http://www.health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/tobaccouse.asp for more information about tobacco use in Georgia.
Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health 2 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 657-3103 gdphinfo@dhr.state.ga.us http://health.state.ga.us