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• State-Specific Prevalence of Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults and Secondhand Smoke Rules and Policies in Homes and Workplaces--United States, 2005, December 20, 2006, 296 (23): 2792 

To assess the state-specific prevalence of current smoking among adults in the United States and the proportions of adults who report having smoke-free home rules* and smoke-free policies in their workplace, CDC analyzed data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).2 This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated a threefold difference (from lowest to highest) in self-reported cigarette smoking prevalence . . .

Because the majority of SHS exposure among nonsmokers occurs in workplaces and homes, the only interventions that effectively protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure are legislation, policies, and rules that make workplaces and homes completely smoke-free.1 SHS exposure has decreased substantially during the past 20 years, in part because many employers and communities and certain states have implemented smoke-free policies and laws. As of March 1, 2006, six states (Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington) had implemented laws (effective on or before June 1, 2006) that make private workplaces, restaurants, and bars smoke-free.5 In addition, several other states have implemented laws that make one or two of these three settings smoke-free. However, the findings in this report indicate that a substantial proportion of adults remain at risk for SHS exposure in their homes and workplaces because of lack of smoke-free rules and policies. Among the 14 states that used the optional SHS module, only Oklahoma has had statewide smoke-free laws for private workplaces since September 2003, but restaurants in Oklahoma were not included until March 1, 2006.

The patterns of current smoking among U.S. adults might be beginning to mirror the current smoking patterns among middle and high school students, which have not changed substantially from 2002 to 2005; smoking prevalence rates in this student population have stabilized in the past few years.6 The lack of change in cigarette smoking might be attributed to the substantial increase in marketing expenditures by tobacco companies since 1998 and decreases in state funding for comprehensive tobacco-control programs since 2002.

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