Smoking Statistics
Who smokes?
27% of Americans smoke (1991).... versus 29% in 1987 and 44% in 1964
The decrease is due to more people quitting, and NOT due to fewer people
starting...so this means that efforts to prevent people from becoming
smokers have not been successful...
Percentage of heavy smokers: 27% in 1987 vs. 26% in 1974
80% of smokers start smoking before age 21
100% of humans start out life as non smokers...if you were a non-smoker once, you can become a non-smoker again.
Why do people start smoking???
- to alleviate stress, life problems
- peer pressures and social acceptance issues are important factors
- family history, parental modeling of smoking behavior
- lower economic status predisposes a person to become a smoker
- wanting to appear mature, self-confident and independent
- personality with tendencies toward
risk
taking behaviors
- extroverted individuals are more likely than introverted people to
become smokers . . .
- Myers-Brigg Personality
test (The Keirsey Temperament Sorter) This test yields interesting information about your style of thinking
including introversion/extroversion scores!!! Try it it's fun!!!
- Why
do
you smoke? take this short interactive test and find out!!!
If you are prompted for a user name use drbob and for the password use drb
or you can set up your own account by going through the
registration process.
Child and adolescent smokers
11% of youths aged 12-17 have smoked in the past month in 1991 and
in a 1995 survey as part of the Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System 34.8% of students had smoked cigarettes on one or
more of the 30 days preceding the survey (i.e., current cigarette use) and
16.1% of students had smoked cigarettes on 20 or more of the 30 days
preceding the survey (i.e., frequent cigarette use).
One in five high school seniors smoke daily, and 70% have tried
cigarettes
3000 teenagers start smoking each day
Psychiatric patient smokers
Marijuana smoking
Smokeless Tobacco
Detailed Statistcs from the CDC
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last modified April 18, 2006
please send comments to Robert Shubinski MD