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Cigarette
Smoking Among Los Angeles County Adults (see
fig 1)
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United
States, accounting for an estimated 435,000 deaths each year. Smoking is a
major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancers of
the lung, pharynx, mouth, esophagus, pancreas, and bladder, and other problems
such as low infant birth weight and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In Los
Angeles County, cigarette smoking causes 1 in every 7 deaths and approximately
$4.3 billion dollars are lost due to smoking-related diseases and deaths each
year. The leading causes of smoking related deaths are lung cancer, coronary
heart disease, and chronic airways obstruction. In spite of the continuing
health and economic costs, notable progress has been made over the past
several years in the fight against smoking. Results from the Los Angeles
County Health Survey (LACHS) show a statistically significant decline in the
prevalence of adult smoking, from 18.2% in 1997 to 14.6% in 2005. (see
fig 2)
Comparisons in Smoking
Prevalence in 2005
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In
2005, smoking prevalence was significantly higher among men than women.
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Among
men and women, prevalence was significantly higher among African Americans
(26.9% and 22.9% respectively). (see
fig 3)
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However,
over 70% of the 1 million smokers in Los Angeles County are White and
Latino. (see fig 4)
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Smoking
prevalence was twice as high as the county average among gay, lesbian,
bi-sexual, transgender individuals (32.0%). (see
fig 5)
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Adults
65 years and older had a lower smoking prevalence than adults in other age
groups. (see fig 6)
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Prevalence
of smoking was lower among those living above 200% FPL than among those
with lower incomes. (see
fig 7)
Smoking
Prevalence by Service Planning Area (SPA) (see
fig 8)
The areas with the highest smoking prevalence were in SPA 1 (Antelope Valley)
at 20.1%, followed closely by SPA 6 (South), SPA 8 (South Bay) and SPA 4
(Metro) (17.3%, 16.7%, and 16.4% respectively). In contrast, SPA 7 (East) had
the lowest smoking prevalence (10.7%). (see
fig 9)
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