Smoking in men began a steady decline in the 1950s and 60s, but, in women, smoking rose until the 1960s and didn't show a decline until the late 1970s.
In 1997 the rate of smoking for men was 27.6% and the rate for women was 22.1%.
Smoking prevalence among young adults aged 18-24 years was 25.8% in 1993, 24.8% in 1995, and 28.7% in 1997. Though not statistically significant, the data suggest that the incidence of smoking is increasing in young adults. Smoking among high school senior girls decreased in the late 70s, but increased again throughout the 90s.1
The federal government has pledged efforts to reduce the portion of people who smoke from 28% in 1996 to 26% in 2005 and to 24% by 2010.
1 CDC Office on Smoking and Health, 1999 |
