A weak economy is leading people to stress more about their jobs and money, and is likely behind an uptick in smoking rates, according to health officials.
Cigarette smoking and other tobacco use rose slightly in 2008 - the first increase in adult tobacco use in 15 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The adult smoking rate has been dropping, in starts and stops, since the mid-1960s, when roughly two out of five U.S. adults smoked. Today, nearly 21 percent of Americans (about 1 in 5) smoke; but local rates are much higher.
"About 29 percent of local residents use tobacco, compared with 23 percent for the state," said Stephanie Davis, director of Washington County Tobacco Prevention Program at Selby General Hospital. "I think we actually saw a dip right after the new taxes (on tobacco) went into effect earlier this year, but they're on the way back up."
About 2.3 percent of adults in the United States used smokeless tobacco as of 2005, the most recent year for which CDC statistics were available.
Health officials were optimistic more and more smokers would be discouraged from lighting up after they imposed a new 62-cent federal tax on tobacco products back in April. There was also speculation the recession might help curb smoking.
Davis said stress and smoking go hand in hand.
"Stress is the No. 1 factor. We've found that 70 percent of people who use tobacco do it in association with stress," she said.
Davis cited a local study that links the risks for tobacco use to money and education. She said southeast Ohio residents earning less than $15,000 a year have a smoking rate of 44 percent and those with less than a high school education have a staggering rate of 53 percent.
"I think the rest of the nation is finally starting to feel some of the stress and financial pressures the people in this area have been feeling for some time," Davis said.
David Morlan, 34, of Marietta, said his family is definitely feeling the pressure of a weakened economy. He said his hours at work were cut from full-time to part-time about six months ago. He was buying a pack of cigarettes Thursday at a local convenience store.
"I smoked before this whole mess started," he said. "I don't know that I'm smoking any more or less.... Maybe a little more, but that's just because I can't smoke that much when I'm at work, and I haven't been there as much."
Prior to last year, U.S. officials had hoped the smoking rate had permanently dropped below 20 percent. In 2007, the rate had fallen to 19.8 percent.
Davis said prior to 2008, the last detailed county tobacco use study was conducted in 2001. She said tobacco use in Washington County changed, but the rates remained the same.
"We found fewer people smoking, but more people using smokeless tobacco," she said. "That's because of increased restrictions on the number of places people can smoke and the smoking bans."
Kevin Murray, 52, of Marietta, said he quit smoking about 10 years ago. He said he's been tempted many times since then to pick up a cigarette. He cited stress from work, financial or relationship problems as the most frequent reasons he wanted to light up.
"Sometimes just being around someone smoking was bad, too," he said. "But every time I thought about it, I just had to think about how hard it was to quit. I must have tried 10 or 15 times before I finally was able to quit."
The Associated Press contributed.
