State-Specific Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2008

November 13, 2009 / Vol. 58 / No. 44

MMWR Introduction

In 2008, adult smoking prevalence across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the 3 U.S. territories ranged from 6.5%–27.4%. Among states, smoking prevalence was highest in West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky and lowest in Utah, California, and New Jersey. In 2008, for the first time Puerto Rico met the Healthy People 2010 objective to reduce cigarette smoking by adults to 12%.

The percentage of people in 11 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands who reported that smoking was not allowed anywhere inside their home ranged from 68.8 in West Virginia to 85.7 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, more than half of the country still lives in areas where they are not protected by comprehensive smoke-free laws. Expanding smoke-free policies and encouraging homes that are smoke-free are essential to reducing smoking prevalence and exposure to secondhand smoke.