Prevalence of Disability Up Over Twofold for Current Smokers

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of disability among adults who currently smoke cigarettes is more than twofold higher than that seen for never smokers, according to a study published online May 29 in Tobacco Control.

Jeanette Novakovich, Ph.D., from the Office on Smoking and Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the prevalence of disability and severity of functional difficulties among adults who smoke cigarettes using data from the 2019 to 2023 National Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that compared with those who never smoked, estimates for any disability were significantly higher for adults who currently and formerly smoked. The prevalence of reporting a disability was higher among adults who currently smoked compared with those who never smoked and with those who formerly smoked (14.1 percent versus 6.8 and 12.6 percent, respectively). Compared with those who never smoked, adults who currently smoke had prevalence of vision, hearing, mobility, and cognitive disability that was 2.0 to 2.4 times higher. Among adults who currently smoke, disability prevalence was 16.5 and 12.1 percent among women and men, respectively. Prevalence ranged from 21.6 to 8.7 percent for those aged 65+ and 25 to 44 years, respectively. For race and ethnicity, prevalence varied from 19.0 to 11.1 percent among non-Hispanic Others and Hispanics, respectively.

“Our pooled analysis revealed that of the estimated 25 million adults who currently smoke, about 40 percent experienced at least some level of functional difficulty,” the authors write.

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