TABLE. Characteristics of current adult cigarette smokers* — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2016.
| Characteristic | Males (n = 14,991) |
Females (n = 18,037) |
Total (n = 33,028) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted % (95% CI) | Population estimate† | Weighted % (95% CI) | Population estimate | Weighted % (95% CI) | Population estimate | |
|
Overall
|
17.5 (16.6–18.5) |
20,660,000 |
13.5 (12.8–14.3) |
17,110,000 |
15.5 (14.8–16.1) |
37,770,000 |
|
Age group (yrs)
| ||||||
| 18–24 |
14.7 (12.1–17.3) |
2,180,000 |
11.5 (9.4–13.7) |
1,700,000 |
13.1 (11.4–14.8) |
3,890,000 |
| 25–44 |
20.6 (19.0–22.3) |
8,480,000 |
14.6 (13.3–15.9) |
6,170,000 |
17.6 (16.5–18.7) |
14,660,000 |
| 45–64 |
19.3 (17.9–20.8) |
7,820,000 |
16.8 (15.5–18.0) |
7,190,000 |
18.0 (17.0–19.0) |
15,020,000 |
| ≥65 |
10.1 (8.8–11.5) |
2,160,000 |
7.7 (6.7–8.7) |
2,030,000 |
8.8 (8.0–9.6) |
4,200,000 |
|
Race/Ethnicity§
| ||||||
| White |
17.8 (16.8–18.8) |
13,570,000 |
15.5 (14.6–16.5) |
12,530,000 |
16.6 (15.9–17.4) |
26,100,000 |
| Black |
20.2 (17.2–23.2) |
2,600,000 |
13.5 (11.5–15.5) |
2,130,000 |
16.5 (14.7–18.3) |
4,730,000 |
| Hispanic |
14.5 (11.8–17.2) |
2,780,000 |
7.0 (5.6–8.3) |
1,350,000 |
10.7 (9.2–12.3) |
4,140,000 |
| AI/AN |
29.3 (19.3–39.4) |
230,000 |
34.3 (24.4–44.2) |
260,000 |
31.8 (24.1–39.5) |
490,000 |
| Asian¶ |
14.0 (10.7–17.3) |
910,000 |
4.6 (2.8–6.4) |
340,000 |
9.0 (7.1–10.9) |
1,260,000 |
| Multirace |
27.7 (19.9–35.5) |
520,000 |
22.9 (16.5–29.2) |
460,000 |
25.2 (20.4–30.0) |
990,000 |
|
Education level**
| ||||||
| 0–12 yrs (no diploma) |
28.9 (25.7–32.1) |
3,760,000 |
19.5 (17–22) |
2,590,000 |
24.1 (22.1–26.2) |
6,360,000 |
| ≤8th grade |
22.4 (16.9–27.8) |
1,100,000 |
10.4 (7.7–13.1) |
530,000 |
16.2 (13.3–19.2) |
1,630,000 |
| 9th–11th grade |
35.1 (30.4–39.8) |
2,070,000 |
26.2 (22.5–29.8) |
1,530,000 |
30.7 (27.6–33.7) |
3,610,000 |
| 12th grade (no diploma) |
26.7 (20.7–32.8) |
580,000 |
22.8 (14.8–30.9) |
520,000 |
24.8 (19.8–29.7) |
1,100,000 |
| GED |
45.5 (38.7–52.2) |
1,350,000 |
36.1 (30.1–42.0) |
1,140,000 |
40.6 (36.1–45.1) |
2,490,000 |
| High school graduate |
23.1 (21.1–25.1) |
5,120,000 |
16.5 (14.9–18.2) |
3,860,000 |
19.7 (18.4–21.1) |
8,980,000 |
| Some college (no degree) |
19.8 (17.6–22.1) |
3,420,000 |
18.1 (16.4–19.8) |
3,370,000 |
18.9 (17.6–20.3) |
6,790,000 |
| Associate degree |
17.1 (14.7–19.6) |
1,990,000 |
16.4 (14.4–18.5) |
2,330,000 |
16.8 (15.2–18.3) |
4,330,000 |
| Undergraduate degree |
9.1 (7.7–10.5) |
1,990,000 |
6.4 (5.4–7.5) |
1,530,000 |
7.7 (6.8–8.6) |
3,520,000 |
| Graduate degree |
5.5 (4.1–6.9) |
730,000 |
3.5 (2.5–4.5) |
510,000 |
4.5 (3.6–5.3) |
1,250,000 |
|
Poverty status††
| ||||||
| At or above poverty level |
16.4 (15.4–17.3) |
16,380,000 |
12.3 (11.5–13.0) |
12,650,000 |
14.3 (13.6–14.9) |
29,030,000 |
| Below poverty level |
28.8 (25.8–31.9) |
3,500,000 |
22.7 (20.4–25.0) |
3,770,000 |
25.3 (23.4–27.2) |
7,270,000 |
| Unspecified |
14.2 (10.9–17.5) |
770,000 |
10.2 (7.5–12.8) |
690,000 |
12.0 (9.8–14.1) |
1,470,000 |
|
U.S. Census region§§
| ||||||
| Northeast |
15.2 (13.3–17.0) |
3,260,000 |
11.5 (9.9–13.1) |
2,640,000 |
13.3 (11.9–14.6) |
5,910,000 |
| Midwest |
19.2 (17.4–20.9) |
4,950,000 |
17.8 (16.2–19.5) |
5,050,000 |
18.5 (17.2–19.7) |
10,000,000 |
| South |
19.7 (17.9–21.5) |
8,310,000 |
14.2 (12.8–15.6) |
6,370,000 |
16.9 (15.5–18.2) |
14,680,000 |
| West |
14.6 (13.0–16.3) |
4,120,000 |
10.1 (8.7–11.4) |
3,030,000 |
12.3 (11.1–13.4) |
7,160,000 |
|
Health insurance coverage¶¶
| ||||||
| Private insurance |
13.5 (12.5–14.4) |
10,490,000 |
10.1 (9.4–10.9) |
8,170,000 |
11.8 (11.1–12.4) |
18,670,000 |
| Medicaid |
27.7 (24.5–30.9) |
3,260,000 |
23.9 (21.6–26.2) |
4,650,000 |
25.3 (23.4–27.3) |
7,910,000 |
| Medicare only (≥65) |
11.8 (9.4–14.2) |
830,000 |
9.1 (7.4–10.8) |
910,000 |
10.2 (8.8–11.7) |
1,750,000 |
| Other public insurance |
21.9 (18.8–25.1) |
1,540,000 |
17.1 (14.0–20.3) |
970,000 |
19.8 (17.4–22.2) |
2,510,000 |
| Uninsured |
32.8 (29.5–36.1) |
4,270,000 |
22.6 (19.7–25.6) |
2,250,000 |
28.4 (26.1–30.7) |
6,530,000 |
|
Disability/Limitation***
| ||||||
| Yes |
25.5 (22.8–28.2) |
2,470,000 |
18.0 (16.1–20.0) |
2,320,000 |
21.2 (19.6–22.9) |
4,790,000 |
| No |
16.4 (15.3–17.6) |
6,360,000 |
12.6 (11.6–13.6) |
5,630,000 |
14.4 (13.6–15.2) |
11,990,000 |
|
Sexual orientation†††
| ||||||
| Straight |
17.3 (16.3–18.2) |
19,230,000 |
13.5 (12.7–14.2) |
15,920,000 |
15.3 (14.6–16.0) |
35,160,000 |
| Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual |
23.8 (17.6–30.1) |
620,000 |
17.9 (13.8–22.0) |
600,000 |
20.5 (16.7–24.3) |
1,230,000 |
|
Serious psychological distress (Kessler Scale)§§§
| ||||||
| Yes |
39.3 (33.3–45.2) |
1,290,000 |
33.6 (28.8–38.5) |
1,720,000 |
35.8 (32.1–39.6) |
3,010,000 |
| No | 16.8 (15.9–17.8) | 18,610,000 | 12.7 (11.9–13.5) | 14,850,000 | 14.7 (14.0–15.4) | 33,460,000 |
Abbreviations: AI/AN = American Indian/Alaska Native; CI = confidence interval; GED = General Education Development certificate.
* Persons who reported smoking ≥100 cigarettes during their lifetime and who, at the time of interview, reported smoking every day or some days. Excludes 111 respondents whose smoking status was unknown.
† Population estimates are calculated from extrapolated probability weights and are rounded down to the nearest 10,000 persons. Therefore, they may not add up to the overall population estimate.
§ Excludes 89 respondents of non-Hispanic unknown race. Unless otherwise indicated, all racial/ethnic groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanics can be of any race.
¶ Does not include Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders.
** Among persons aged ≥25 years. Excludes 107 persons whose education level was unknown.
†† Family income is reported by the family respondent who might or might not be the same as the sample adult respondent from whom smoking information is collected. 2016 estimates are based on reported family income and family size, based on the 2015 poverty thresholds published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
§§ Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
¶¶ Private coverage: Includes adults who had any comprehensive private insurance plan (including health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations). Medicaid: For adults aged <65 years, includes adults who do not have private coverage, but who have Medicaid or other state-sponsored health plans including Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). For adults aged ≥65 years, includes adults who do not have any private coverage but have Medicare and Medicaid or other state-sponsored health plans including CHIP; Medicare only: Includes older adults who only have Medicare coverage; Other coverage: Includes adults who do not have private insurance, Medicaid, or other public coverage, but who have any type of military coverage or Medicare (for those aged <65 years). This category also includes adults who are covered by other government programs. Uninsured: Includes adults who have not indicated that they are covered at the time of the interview under private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, a state-sponsored health plan, other government programs, or military coverage.
*** Disability/limitation was defined based on self-reported presence of selected impairments including vision, hearing, cognition, and movement. Limitations in performing activities of daily living was defined based on response to the question, “Does [person] have difficulty dressing or bathing?” Limitations in performing instrumental activities of daily living was defined based on response to the question, “Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does [person] have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?” Any disability/limitation was defined as a “yes” response pertaining to at least one of the disabilities/limitations listed (e.g., vision, hearing, cognition, movement, activities of daily living, or instrumental activities of daily living). A random sample of half the respondents from the 2016 Person File were asked about disability/limitation. Disability/limitation estimates (%, population estimate) were obtained used the specific adult disability weight.
††† Response options provided on the National Health Interview Survey were “straight, that is, not gay” for men, and “straight, that is, not gay or lesbian” for women.
§§§ The Kessler psychological distress scale is a series of six questions that ask about feelings of sadness, nervousness, restlessness, worthlessness, and feeling like everything is an effort in the past 30 days. Participants were asked to respond on a Likert Scale ranging between “None of the time” (score = 0) and “All of the time” (score = 4). Responses were summed over the six questions; any person with a score of ≥13 was coded as having serious psychological distress, and respondents with a score <13 were coded as not having serious psychological distress.