Oklahoma in third place

[joiei]

We get to be third behind Kentucky and Mississippi in terms of percentage of population who smokes.    Yea for us. 

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150779/Smoking-Rates-Remain-Highest-Kentucky-Lowest-Utah.aspx#2

[Townsend]

We get to be third behind Kentucky and Mississippi in terms of percentage of population who smokes.    Yea for us. 

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150779/Smoking-Rates-Remain-Highest-Kentucky-Lowest-Utah.aspx#2

We're sorta id driven here.

[TheArtist]

  Ok, so now why is this?  People will argue that we are fat and have high rates of diabeties, not because of say ignorance or poor descision making habits, but because we are poor and poor people can only afford unhealthy food.  But why high rates of smoking?  Poor people surely can't, or shouldn't afford smoking.   Costs money, stinks, is bad for you and those around you, makes you look old before your time, is dirty, etc. so why?

   

[Red Arrow]

  Ok, so now why is this?  People will argue that we are fat and have high rates of diabeties, not because of say stupidity or poor descision making, but because we are poor and poor people can only afford unhealthy food.  But why high rates of smoking?  Poor people surely can't, or shouldn't afford smoking.   Costs money, stinks, is bad for you and those around you, makes you look old before your time, is dirty, etc. so why?

It must be a genetic addiction.   Mom and dad smoked so I must smoke..... 

[Red Arrow]

We get to be third behind Kentucky and Mississippi in terms of percentage of population who smokes.   

We don't get to be first in anything.  Boo hiss.....

[Red Arrow]

Just for the record.  I quit in 1986.   

[cannon_fodder]

But why high rates of smoking?  Poor people surely can't, or shouldn't afford smoking.       

Smoking is inversly correlated to wealth, education, and physical fitness.  That is to say: people below a certain level of wealth are more likely to smoke.  Less educated people are more likely to smoke (I realize this has a correlation to wealth also).  And people that are less physically active are more likely to smoke (that is:  if your hobbies are hiking, biking, and tennis you are less likely to smoke than if your hobbies are NASCAR, poker, and watching football).   Oklahoma does have lots of uneducate, inactive, poor people... so that goes a long way to explaining it. 

BUT... I'd think Arkansas, Texas, and Lousiana share a similar demographic in those respects.  Maybe our teaxes are lower?  Indian Smoke Shops offering cheap smokes?  Lack of public education?  Poor health care (ie. not many primary care doctors harassing patients to stop)?

No answers really... just thoughts. 

/ramble

[Conan71]

Smoking is inversly correlated to wealth, education, and physical fitness.  That is to say: people below a certain level of wealth are more likely to smoke.  Less educated people are more likely to smoke (I realize this has a correlation to wealth also).  And people that are less physically active are more likely to smoke (that is:  if your hobbies are hiking, biking, and tennis you are less likely to smoke than if your hobbies are NASCAR, poker, and watching football).   Oklahoma does have lots of uneducate, inactive, poor people... so that goes a long way to explaining it. 

BUT... I'd think Arkansas, Texas, and Lousiana share a similar demographic in those respects.  Maybe our teaxes are lower?  Indian Smoke Shops offering cheap smokes?  Lack of public education?  Poor health care (ie. not many primary care doctors harassing patients to stop)?

No answers really... just thoughts. 

/ramble

Interesting.  The whole idea in a slate of new tobacco taxes in 2005 or 2006 was supposed to discourage tobacco use and price it out of the range of those who could least afford it so they would adopt healthier lifestyles.  One of the myriad of reasons I quit smoking and using any tobacco products was the ever-increasing cost.  I could easily afford such a habit, but what I notice is people in middle and upper income brackets thought pragmatically that a $5.00 a day habit could easily translate into something healthy like a carbon bicycle or a new bag of Calloway clubs.  Many of my friends in upper income brackets complained of the high cost and did quit.

Many of my friends in the lower income brackets are still puffing away and still bitching about the high cost of tobacco.  Personally, I did quit, assumed a healthier lifestyle and I grumble about others who still smoke, raising health insurance rates for everyone else.

[cannon_fodder]

O hear ya Conan.  I explained to a friend recently, who is HORRIBLE with money, that they have smoked a pack a day for the last 15 years, at $5 a pack (inflation + no interest on savings, so ignore price increases) = $27,000.  The guy has always wanted a Mustang GT convertible.  You can get a very nice used one for just about $25,000...

[custosnox]

O hear ya Conan.  I explained to a friend recently, who is HORRIBLE with money, that they have smoked a pack a day for the last 15 years, at $5 a pack (inflation + no interest on savings, so ignore price increases) = $27,000.  The guy has always wanted a Mustang GT convertible.  You can get a very nice used one for just about $25,000...

Except that if they are like me, then that five bucks a day started going somewhere else.  I know I always struggled to buy my smokes, and would sacrifice other things in my life to make sure I could have them (you know just a meal or something else unimportant).  Since I quit, I have found plenty of things that sucks up the money just as quickly to keep it from going into a savings.  Oh, and I also quit after finding out that the price was going up to five bucks.  Last pack I bought was a few hours before the price increase.

[carltonplace]

The good news is that the current practice of "demonizing" smoking, educating people on its effect, and price increases/taxes has led to a decline in the total number of tobacco users

From the CDC


I also found this on the CDC site


The CDC recommends that Oklahoma needs to raise taxes on tobacco products to meet the national average, provide more legislation to create protected smoke free environments and provide more quit assist programs.



Read more:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/state_data/state_highlights/2010/states/oklahoma/index.htm

[Townsend]

The CDC recommends that Oklahoma needs to raise taxes on tobacco products to meet the national average, provide more legislation to create protected smoke free environments and provide more quit assist programs.

That's when the tobacco lobbyists get their legislator minions to yell "big government", "controlling our choices", "raising taxes".

[Cats Cats Cats]

Finally my theory that smokers are generally less educated has been quantified.

[Breadburner]

Its the Indians fault.....

[jacobi]

The question of why those with lower education and lower income would smoke more has been raised.  As someone who until recently was a service industry kid I think I can grant some insight.   I think the conection is not at the education level (a famous german philosopher once said "where there is no smoking, there is no thinking");  instead its in the service industry (or other menial job) culture that comes hand in hand with poverty.  Have you tried working a low paying crappy serice gig?  It's stressful as it is completly unrewarding.  Oftentimes the only people who get a break are those who smoke.   If you ask one of the guys smoking out back of a restaurant (making 8/hour) why he doesn't quit he will tell you a few reasons 1.  He is too busy with work to have the where-with-all to deal with the nicotine fits during a shift.  2. a cigarette (and a beer or ten) is the reward at the end of a long night. Classic pavlovian condictioning 3. If I do get a lull in service, I don't want to spend that time cleaning.  I want to relax for a minute.  If I just went and sat down somewhere, chef would bite my head off.  Smoking on the other hand is justification to step outside and not work for 5 min.  The same thing applies at the coffeeshop gigs i've had.  Some of this can be mapped onto phone service gigs.  I guess my point is that in lower paying (read service industry) jobs there is no sense of advancement or a goal or a future.  You are in a holding pattern.  If one didn't feel that one had a future (and felt that there was no way out)  why bother thrying to save money on cigs or worry about your health?  You're going to work yourelf to death before your 65 anyway.  what's the point?  It's service industry nihilism.  (full discolsure: I quit smoking the month before I left my last service gig at whole foods.)