Using Multiple Tobacco Products Ups Hazards: CDC

Smoking cigarettes-plus greatly raises risk of cancer, heart disease, experts warn

THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- People who smoke cigarettes and also use other forms of tobacco have higher levels of nicotine addiction, find it more difficult to quit using tobacco, and are at greatly increased risk for tobacco-related health problems such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, warns a new government study.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 13 states included in the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and found that young adults aged 18 to 24 (5.7 percent), single people (4.8 percent) and men (4.4 percent) are most likely to use cigarettes in combination with other forms of tobacco such as cigars; pipes; bidis, a South Asian leaf-wrapped cigarette; and kreteks, cigarettes made with tobacco, cloves and other flavors.

Advertisement

Related Stories • Satisfaction With Life Seems Good for the Heart • New Combo Therapy May Prevent TB, Save Lives in People With HIV • Cuddling May Be Key to Long-Term Happy Relationship Related Videos Baby Steps: Fertility Findings Don't Wait on Your Prostate Risky Wrap: The Dangers of Swaddling Related Slides Penile Implants Placenta Abruptio PMS Related Encyclopedia • AIDS and HIV Infection • Ankylosing Spondylitis • Baldness

The study appears in this week's issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the CDC.

It also found that one in four adults in the 13 states uses at least one form of tobacco. Use of any tobacco product ranged from 18.4 percent in New Jersey to 35 percent in West Virginia.

Among the other findings:

• Rates of use of multiple tobacco products ranged from 1 percent in New Jersey to 3.7 percent in West Virginia.
• Use of any tobacco was higher among whites (26.2 percent) and blacks (24.4 percent) than among Hispanics (19.7 percent).
• Married people (21.2 percent) were less likely to use any type of tobacco than those who were widowed/divorced (29.1 percent), single (30.3 percent), or members of an unmarried couple (36.3 percent).
• People with less than a high school education were more likely to use any type of tobacco than those with some college education or more -- 33.1 percent vs. 20.5 percent.

"Every day, smoking kills more than 1,000 people and is the leading preventable cause of death. The more types of tobacco products people use, the greater their risk for many diseases caused by tobacco, such as cancer and heart disease," CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said in an agency news release.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about smoking, tobacco and health.

-- Robert Preidt