A disturbing trend has taken the public health community by surprise - cigar smoking is significantly on the rise.
The increase in cigar consumption in the U.S. began following an increase in promotional activities in 1992.
Sex and celebrity are regular features of cigar marketing. The magazine Cigar Aficionado is devoted solely to cigars and features a celebrity smoking a cigar on each month's cover.
Cigar sales jumped almost 20% in 1996 - that's 4.4 billion cigars sold. There was an astounding 67% increase in premium cigar imports to the United States in 1996 alone.
Between 1993 and 1996, the sales of large premium cigars increased nearly 154%.1
In 1999, 20.3% of male high school students and 10.2% of female high school students reported smoking cigars.2
Ten million Americans smoke cigars today. That's an increase of about two million since 1993.
Current statistics on the number of women who smoke cigars are not available, but it appears to be a popular social behavior, especially for young women in affluent areas.
Involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke is responsible for an estimated 1.2 million cases of ear infections each year in the U.S., or approximately 7% of the total.
1 Monograph 9. Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. National Cancer Institute. Downloaded from the Internet, 1998.
2 MMWR. 2000;49(3). |
