Tobacco

Sedgwick County > Health Department > Tobacco

The #1 Avoidable Killer

Since the first Surgeon General's report on smoking and health in 1964, 27 additional reports have concluded that tobacco use is the single most avoidable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States.

Number of Smokers in Sedgwick County, Kansas and the United States

According to the Center for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, tobacco use among adults in the United States, Kansas and Sedgwick County has remained relatively constant and similar for the past decade, 1997 - 2006.

Comparing Sedgwick County to Kansas and the United States shows we have a higher percentage of current adult smokers.

23% of Sedgwick County adults currently smoke
17.85% of Kansas adults currently smoke
20.9% of American adults currently smoke

A greater percentage of Sedgwick County adult citizens (22.4%) smoke than the state (20%) or national levels (20.1%).

Who's Smoking in Kansas?

The same survey shows approximately 20% of Kansans are smokers and the most distinct differences in the proportion of smokers are within the income and education categories.

One third of all Sedgwick County adult smokers are in the lowest income bracket, under $15,000. More than half of all Sedgwick County adult smokers have a high school diploma or less education.