Topic: Miller College of Business
April 2, 2013
More than half of smokers in Indiana attempted to quit smoking in the past 12 months, a move that could save the state billions in health care costs, since each pack of cigarettes has an impact of $35, says a new study from Ball State University.
"Burden of Smoking among Adults in Indiana," a report by Ball State's Global Health Institute (GHI) based on 2011 data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), found 57.5 percent of Hoosiers tried to quit in the last year. This included study participants who smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and who, at the time of survey, smoked either every day or some days.
The study also found that in 2010, 9,700 Hoosiers died and $4.7 billion was spent on annual health and other economic costs as a result of tobacco use.
Nationally, cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion, including $97 billion in lost productivity and $96 billion in health care expenditures, said Kerry Anne McGeary, GHI director and Phyllis A. Miller professor of health economics.
“People are trying to quit because they realize the dangers of smoking,” she said. “Cessation can significantly reduce the risk of suffering from smoking- related diseases. Counseling and medication can more than double the chance that a smoker who tries to quit will succeed.”
The study also found:
- Smoking continues to a regular habit for 25.6 percent of Indiana’s population, ranking Indiana seventh in nation for highest percentage of smokers.
- The percentage of adults who report being current smokers decreases as either income or education levels increase.
- About 28 percent of males report smoking compared to 24 percent of females.
McGeary points out that cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke and lung diseases including emphysema, bronchitis and chronic airway obstruction.
By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist