Indicator 1 9 : Smoking and tobacco use

Goal: Minnesotans will be healthy. This goal encompasses both physical and mental health throughout life. It is also aimed at reducing disparities in health status among racial and ethnic minorities. Indicators for the goal deal with both health status and health care.

Rationale: Smoking and tobacco use have been shown to cause or worsen many diseases.

Year 1989 23.1% 1992 23.5% 1998 30.5% 2001 26.4%

Data source: Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning

Year 1997 22% 1998 18.1% 1999 19.6% 2000 20.2%

Data source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

About this indicator: The percentage of 12th-graders who use tobacco daily rose between 1992 and 1998, but fell again in 2001. The percentage of adults who smoke has remained steadier throughout the decade, falling between 1997 and 1998 but rising again in 1999.

Smoking-related diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, are the leading cause of preventable death in Minnesota and the nation. Studies show that most smokers begin by age 18, so reducing tobacco use among teens is seen as an important factor in reducing adult smoking.

The Minnesota Department of Health goal is to reduce adult smoking to 15 percent and daily smoking among 12th-graders to 15 percent by 2004.

For comparison: National surveys suggest that Minnesota has higher youth smoking rates, but lower adult smoking rates, than the nation as a whole. The University of Michigan Survey Research Center found that in 2000, 21 percent of U.S. 12th-graders smoked daily, compared to the Minnesota survey which found that 26 percent of Minnesota 12th-graders used tobacco daily in 2001.

Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that smoking among U.S. adults has declined from 24.7 percent in 1997 to 23.0 percent in 2000. This is higher than the figure given for Minnesotans by the state Department of Health, which shows a decline from 22 percent to 19.6 percent in the same period.

Things to think about: The University of Michigan survey indicates that nationally, 41 percent of American Indian 12th-grade students said they smoked daily in 2000, the highest proportion of any ethnic group. Smoking among ninth-graders is also a concern for students of all races. Nationally, 32 percent of ninth-grade American Indians reported smoking daily, compared to 28 percent of Hispanic students, 17 percent of both Black/African-American and White youth and 14 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students.

Nationally, adult smoking is more prevalent among men than women. There are more smokers among non-Hispanic Whites (24 percent) and Blacks/African Americans (23 percent) than among Hispanics (17 percent).

Technical notes: The Minnesota Student Survey of 12th-graders is conducted every three years. The data is self-reported and there are differences in the way school districts administer the survey. Fifty to 55 percent of Minnesota 12th-graders, approximately 34,000 students, participate in the survey.

Sources:

• Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning, Minnesota Student Survey, http://cfl.state.mn.us
• Minnesota Department of Health, Healthy Minnesotans: Minnesota Health Improvement Goals for 2004, www.health.state.mn.us
• University of Michigan Survey Research Center, Monitoring the Future, http://monitoringthefuture.org
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, Adult Core Component, www.cdc.gov

Related indicators:

• Low birth weight
• Life expectancy
• Premature death
• Air pollutants

Other related indicators:

• Percentage of adults who abuse alcohol (Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us.)
• Cancer rate (Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us.)
• Leading causes of death for selected age groups by gender, race and ethnicity (Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us.)
• Percentage of adults who exercise regularly (Minnesota Department of Health www.health.state.mn.us