Pulmonary
Partner With Us
Advertisement
From the Journals

Tobacco Use Higher Among Adults With Disabilities, Study Finds

Despite declines in tobacco use, adults with disabilities had higher usage rates. Differences in use across cumulative disabilities persisted or worsened, the study found.

Conexiant

U.S. adults with disabilities had significantly higher rates of tobacco and electronic nicotine product use compared with those without disabilities, despite overall declines in tobacco consumption over the past decade, a new study revealed.

Published in JAMA Network Open, researchers analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study across three survey waves from 2013 to 2023, examining past 30-day tobacco use among adults aged 18 and older.

The study assessed eight tobacco products: cigarettes, electronic nicotine products (e-products), traditional cigars, filtered cigars, cigarillos, pipes, hookah, and smokeless products.

In 2013-2014, 25.4% of adults without disabilities reported using any tobacco product, compared with 40.2% of those with one disability, 48.9% of those with two disabilities, and 51.8% of those with three or more disabilities.

By 2022-2023, overall tobacco use had decreased, but adults with three or more disabilities still had a significantly higher prevalence than those without disabilities.

While cigarette use declined across all groups, e-product use increased. In 2013-2014, 14.6% of those with three or more disabilities used e-products, rising to 19.3% by 2022-2023. Those with three or more disabilities experienced the largest increase.

Notably, while differences in use of cigarettes, e-products, cigarillos, filtered cigars, and pipes were significant across disability groups, differences in cigar, hookah, and smokeless tobacco use were minimal or non-significant.

The study assessed six types of disabilities—mobility, self-care, independent living, cognitive, hearing, and vision—and found that mobility-related disabilities were the most prevalent (13.3% in 2013-2014). Disability prevalence remained stable over time, with 24.8% of U.S. adults reporting at least one disability in 2013-2014 and 22.7% in 2022-2023.

"Individuals with disabilities are more likely to experience health risks associated with tobacco use, and research should assess how tobacco use among those with multiple disabilities affects future health status," the study authors wrote.

The findings highlight the need for inclusive cessation efforts targeting those with multiple disabilities, particularly beyond traditional cigarette use.

Full disclosures are available in the published study.