Current Economic Situation Prompts Increased Smoking, Delay in Quit Attempts, Middle and Low-Income Americans H...( One in Four Smokers Stressed Abou...),Health

One in Four Smokers Stressed About State of Economy Smoking More on Daily Basis

Washington, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the American Legacy Foundation(R) -- the nation's largest public health foundation dedicated to reducing tobacco use in the U.S. -- announced the results of a new survey conducted on their behalf by Harris Interactive which found that stress about the ongoing financial downturn is having a clear and immediate effect on smokers.

Seventy-seven percent of current smokers report increased stress levels due to the current state of the economy and two-thirds of those smokers say this stress has had an effect on their smoking.

November marks Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time when smokers might reflect on the life threatening nature of their addiction, yet this new data indicates smokers are suffering more than ever as stress is causing smokers to delay a quit attempt, increase the number of cigarettes they are smoking, or switch to a cheaper brand instead of quitting. Moreover, some former smokers report they are starting to smoke again because of the stress over the financial situation.

Among the survey findings:

-- One in four smokers stressed about the economy say this stress has

caused them to smoke more cigarettes per day, higher among women (31%)

than men (17%).

-- Those smokers with lower household incomes are especially affected by

the financial crisis. A greater percentage of stressed smokers with a

household income of less than $35k reported smoking more cigarettes per

day (38%) due to the current state of the economy, compared to those

with household incomes of $35-74k (24%) and those with incomes of more

than $75k (13%).

-- In addition, a greater percentage of middle-income ($35-74.9k) stressed

smokers have delayed their quit attempts because of stress over the

economy (20%) t
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