Jump to full article: Seattle (WA) Times, 2008-09-18
Author: Kyung M. Song Seattle Times health reporter
Intro: The state Department of Health said Wednesday that 16.5 percent of adult residents smoked in 2007, below the national rate of 19.8 percent and sixth lowest among all states. In 2006, the state ranked fifth-lowest in the nation with a 17 percent smoking rate.
But smoking rates among the poorest and least educated residents haven't budged significantly in years. Almost a third of adults with less than $25,000 in household incomes are smokers, for instance.
Equally worrisome is the fact that 20 percent of 12th graders in Washington smoke. Public-health officials know that if they can keep a person off tobacco before age 18, chances are slim that the person will ever light up.
The state's overall smoking rate has fallen by 26 percent since 1999. In 2000, Washington beefed up its tobacco-prevention efforts
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