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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce current tobacco use in adults — TU‑01 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 21.3 percent of adults aged 18 years and over used at least 1 form of cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, filtered little cigars; regular pipes, water pipes, hookah; e-cigarettes; and/or smokeless tobacco products every day or some days in 2019

Target: 17.4 percent

Numerator
Number of adults aged 18 years and over who ever used cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, filtered little cigars; regular pipes, water pipes, hookah; electronic cigarettes; or smokeless tobacco and now use at least one tobacco product every day or some days.
Denominator
Number of adults aged 18 years and over.
Target-setting method
Percentage point improvement
Target-setting method details
Percentage point improvement from the baseline using Cohen's h effect size of 0.10.
1
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because the slope was not reliable. A percentage point improvement was calculated using Cohen's h effect size of 0.1. This method was used because the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an ambitious yet achievable target and expected there to be continued efforts in the field to reduce tobacco use by adults.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2019 National Health Interview Survey:

Numerator:
Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your ENTIRE LIFE?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Do you NOW smoke cigarettes every day, some days or not at all?
  1. Every day
  2. Some days
  3. Not at all
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know

From the 2019 National Health Interview Survey Tobacco and E-cigarette Use Supplement:

Do you now use e-cigarettes every day, some days, or not at all?
  1. Every day
  2. Some days
  3. Not at all
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know
Do you now smoke regular cigars, cigarillos, or little filtered cigars every day, some days, or not at all?
  1. Every day
  2. Some days
  3. Not at all
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know
Do you now smoke pipes filled with tobacco – either regular pipes, water pipes, or hookahs, every day, some days, or not at all?
  1. Every day
  2. Some days
  3. Not at all
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know
Do you NOW use smokeless tobacco products every day, some days, or not at all?
  1. Every day
  2. Some days
  3. Not at all
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know

Methodology notes

For cigarettes, users were defined as persons who reported smoking either "every day" or "some days" and had smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetime. For smokeless tobacco products, the survey includes a preamble which states, "smokeless tobacco products are placed in the mouth or nose and can include chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus (SNOOSE), or dissolvable tobacco…" For e-cigarettes, the survey includes a preamble which states, "The next question is about electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes. You may also know them as vape-pens, hookah-pens, e-hookahs, or e-vaporizers. Some look like cigarettes, and others look like pens or small pipes. These are battery-powered, usually contain liquid nicotine, and produce vapor instead of smoke." This indicator uses age-adjustment groups: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+.

Age-adjustment notes

This Indicator uses Age-Adjustment Groups:

  • Total: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Sex: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Race/Ethnicity: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Educational Attainment: 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Family Income (percent poverty threshold): 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Family Type: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Country of Birth: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Disability Status: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Geographic Location: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Health Insurance Status: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64
  • Marital Status: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+
  • Sexual Orientation: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, 65+

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from the related Healthy People 2020 objectives in that objective TU-1.1 tracked adult use of cigarettes, objective TU-1.2 tracked adult use of smokeless tobacco products, and objective TU-1.3 tracked adult use of regular cigars, cigarillos, and little filtered cigars. This objective tracks adult use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, filtered little cigars, regular pipes, water pipes, hookah, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco.
Revision History
  • Revised. 

    In 2022, due to the 2019 NHIS redesign, the baseline was revised from 20.1% in 2018 to 21.3% in 2019.
    The target was revised from 16.2% to 17.4% using the original target setting method.
  • Revised. 

    In 2024, the following categories were recalculated with the use of a newer variable: Never married, American Indian or Alaska Native only, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, 2 or more races only, Not Hispanic or Latino American Indian or Alaska Native only, Not Hispanic or Latino Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, Not Hispanic or Latino 2 or more races only. Estimates from data year 2022 or earlier may vary slightly from estimates previously reported. The baseline, baseline year and target were not affected.

1. Effect size h=0.1 was chosen to correspond with 10% improvement from a baseline of 50%.