New data shows the number of Louisianans who smoke cigarettes is at an all-time low. A report from the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living says the percentage of adults who smoke is down to just over 18-percent; down from about 22-percent in 2019. TFL director Dr. Earl Benjamin Robinson says the crunching of data continues, but the numbers are welcome news.
“We are encouraged by what we see and we are doing a bit more work to understand and conceptualize that drop,” said Benjamin-Robinson.
The numbers come from TFL’s 2020 Behavioral Risk study. Demographically, the biggest group to quit smoking were adults without a high school diploma; a drop of over 6-percent. Lower-income individuals also quit at a high rate; indicating that additional tobacco taxes are having a chilling effect on the unhealthy habit. Dr. Benjamin-Robinson says the report is an indicator that TFLs efforts are paying off.
“We have done a considerable amount of community education and advocacy in communities around the state to help ensure that citizens know about what the exposure of second-hand smoke can do,” said Benjamin-Robinson.
Louisianans interested in quitting tobacco can visit www.QuitWithUsLa.org or call 1-800-Quit-Now to connect with a quit coach and create a personalized Quit Plan.
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