Multiple Tobacco Use Makes It Harder to Quit

(August 6, 2010) - People who both smoke and use chewing tobacco face a harder time quitting. (Read about "Quit Smoking") The use of cigarettes in combination with other forms of tobacco is linked with higher nicotine addition, the inability to quit using tobacco, and increases chances of tobacco-related health problems, such as stroke, heart disease and tobacco-related cancers (Read about "Stroke" "Coronary Heart Disease" "Cancer: What It Is"), according to an analysis of data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The study looked at what is called polytobacco use, which is defined as the use of cigarettes in combination with other forms of tobacco (including cigars; pipes; bidis, a South Asian cigarette wrapped in a leaf; kreteks, a cigarette made with tobacco, cloves and other flavors; and others).

Polytobacco use is most common among men (4.4 percent), people who were single (4.8 percent), young adults ages 18-24 years (5.7 percent), and those with household incomes less than $35,000 (9.8 percent).

"Every day smoking kills more than 1,000 people and is the leading preventable cause of death," said Ccenters for Disease Control and prevention Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "The more types of tobacco products people use, the greater their risk for many diseases caused by tobacco, such as cancer and heart disease."

Other key highlights from the report include the following:

• Use of any tobacco ranged from 18.4 percent in New Jersey to 35 percent in West Virginia.
• Use of any tobacco was higher among members of an unmarried couple (36.3 percent), single (30.3 percent), or widowed/divorced (29.1 percent) than among married persons (21.2 percent).
• Use of any tobacco was higher among those who had less than a high school education (33.1 percent) when compared to those with some college or more (20.5 percent).

The report, which was done in 13 states, also found that 1 in 4 adults in these states use at least one form of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, or smokeless tobacco.