Recent statistics show that about one in four adults in southwest Missouri is a tobacco user—that’s nearly 10% above the national average.
Valerie Howard at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said that’s also higher than the statewide average.
“22% of adult Missourians are tobacco users. About 1 in 4 in southwest Missouri specifically is 24.5%. Southwest Missouri has the highest adult usage rate in the state by region,” Howard told KSMU.
Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The CDC is touring states with high smoking rates like Missouri, spreading the word about its resources.
In Missouri, the state provides a phone number for smokers needing help kicking the habit: that quit line is: 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
