The Prevalence of Smoking and Related Conditions
As a nation, the United States spends more financial resources on health care than other nations, yet it does not demonstrate healthier outcomes. This also holds true for Missouri and the incidence of health issues related to smoking. At 17 cents per pack of cigarettes, Missouri has the lowest tobacco tax in the nation, compared to the national average of $1.45 and the high of $4.35 in New York.
Health outcomes within our state demonstrate Missouri consistently ranks in the bottom one-third in overall health status as compared to other states and the District of Columbia. This may stem from the fact that many of Missouri’s current tax policies do not incentivize healthy behaviors as reported by the Tax Foundation (State Sales, Gasoline, Cigarette and Alcohol Tax Rates by State, 2000-2010).
The following map displays county-specific data for the prevalence of smoking and related conditions, including hospitalizations for COPD and hypertension, hospital ED visits for asthma, premature deaths and years of potential life lost. The percent of adult smokers for each county also is shown.
| Percent of Adult Smokers | |
 |
14.3 – 18.74 |
 |
18.74 – 23.18 |
 |
23.18 – 27.62 |
 |
27.62 – 32.06 |
 |
32.06 – 36.5 |
How To Use This Interactive Map
How To Use This Interactive Map
- Click any icon to view county data.
- You can double click on the map to zoom into a specific location. The scroll button on your mouse also will allow you to zoom in and out. You also can move the map in any direction with your mouse. To change the background of the map, click
at the top of the map in the toolbar to select a new background.
- When viewing county information, use the scroll bar to view information. Clicking the “x” will close the screen.
- A chart will be at the bottom of the screen. Click the arrow to the right to view additional charts. At these charts, scroll over the bars/points to view data. To display this information in a new window, click
in the bottom right of the screen.
- The dashboard screen displays county results for other health issues related to smoking.
Tags: featured quality
