What We Know (Data) – Mississippi Coalition for Tobacco Cessation
Take a tour on our data poster “Gallery Walk” to learn more about tobacco usage in Mississippi.
In March 2013, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that approximately 40 percent of all the cigarettes made in the United States are smoked by individuals with mental illness or a substance abuse disorder. A 2013 tobacco utilization survey conducted by the Institute of Disability Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi in collaboration with the Office of Tobacco Control at the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health showed that 66.2 percent of more than 1,000 adults served by the state’s regional community mental health or alcohol and drug treatment centers smoked or used tobacco. Of this population, 58.1 percent indicated that they want to quit.
This Mississippi survey also explored the barriers that prevent adults with mental health issues from accessing tobacco cessation information and resources as well as the motivations for quitting. In addressing barriers, 43.3 percent of survey respondents said they did not want to stop smoking or using tobacco, 25.4 percent cited transportation as a problem for attending programs and 25.1 percent said they didn’t know about the programs available. Motivation for quitting included illness, 42.2 percent; the cost of tobacco products, 36.4 percent; and a loved one requesting them to quit, 25.1 percent.
According to results from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), Mississippi had the fifth highest (24.8 percent) adult smoking prevalence rate in the nation. Data from 2013 also indicated that one-third of people with mental illness smoke compared to one-fifth of those without mental illness (CDC, 2013). People with mental illness and substance abuse disorders smoke more, are less likely to quit, and are likely to die five years earlier than people without these disorders (CDC, 2013). The 2013 BRFSS also indicated that in Mississippi, 36 percent of people with mental illness smoked compared to 21 percent of those without mental illness.
CDC. Vital Signs: Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults Aged ≥ 18 Years with Mental Illness—United States, 2009–2011. MMWR 2013; 62 (05); 81–87.
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