Study Examines Prevalence of Cigar Use Among Young Adults
By Susan J. Campbell
Cigar use is something that doesn’t often come up when tobacco prevention or cessation is discussed. Smoking cigars, however, can have significant adverse effects on the user’s health. Those who smoke cigars regularly have 4 to 10 times the risk of dying from oral, esophageal, or laryngeal cancer.
Because of these health risks, the National Drug Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) January 2009 report provides a summary of data collected on young adults aged 18 to 25. As this age group has the highest rates of past-month cigar use, it also represents the demographic at greatest risk.
The data collected between 2002 and 2007 found that more young adults used cigars in the past month in 2007 than in 2002. The difference was only 0.8 percent, although the prevalence rate peaked in 2004 at 12.7 percent. Past-month cigar use was more prevalent in males who tended to be 3 times more likely as females to have smoked cigars. While rates among females remained relatively stable, 16.8 percent of males used cigars in 2002, 19.7 percent used cigars in 2004, and 18.4 percent used cigars in 2007.
This data also found that the rates of past-month cigar use tended to decline with age among young adults. The decline was significant as the rate for those aged 18 or 19 was 14.5 percent and the rate for those aged 24 or 25 was 8.5 percent.
In addition, the highest rate of 16.9 percent was found among young adults who reported being of two or more ethnicities. Whites followed at a close second of 13.4 percent, blacks or African Americans used at a rate of 11.2 percent, Hispanics or Latinos at a rate of 8.3 percent, and Asians at 4.4 percent.
Geographic characteristics also played a part in the likelihood of cigar use. Young adults who live in non-metropolitan counties were more likely to use cigars at 13.5 percent than those living in large or small metropolitan counties at 11.4 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively.
Living in the West and Northeast may be healthier as young adults in these areas used cigars at a lower rate of 10.9 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively. For young adults living in the Midwest and the South, use was reported at 13.8 percent and 12.0 percent, respectively.
The use of cigars can lead to the use of other substances, such as cigarettes. In fact, 65.9 percent of young adults who used cigars in the past month also used cigarettes. Another 15.3 percent used smokeless tobacco and 5.8 percent used pipe tobacco.
The findings of this study suggest that prevention and intervention programs surrounding cigar use are important. Young adults need to understand that there are serious health risks associated with cigar use and that it is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking.
