Tobacco Product Use Among Military Veterans - United States, 2010-2015

Abstract

In 2015, an estimated 18.8 million U.S. adults were military veterans (1). Although the prevalence of tobacco-attributable conditions is high among veterans (2), there is a paucity of data on use of tobacco products, other than cigarettes, in this population. To monitor tobacco product use among veterans, CDC analyzed self-reported current (i.e., past 30-day) use of five tobacco product types (cigarettes, cigars [big cigars, cigarillos, or little cigars], roll-your-own tobacco, pipes, and smokeless tobacco [chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, or snus]) from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Overall, 29.2% of veterans reported current use of any of the assessed tobacco products. Cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product (21.6%), followed by cigars (6.2%), smokeless tobacco (5.2%), roll-your-own tobacco (3.0%), and pipes (1.5%); 7.0% of veterans currently used two or more tobacco products. Within subgroups of veterans, current use of any of the assessed tobacco products was higher among persons aged 18-25 years (56.8%), Hispanics (34.0%), persons with less than a high school diploma (37.9%), those with annual family income <$20,000 (44.3%), living in poverty (53.7%), reporting serious psychological distress (48.2%), and with no health insurance (60.1%). By age and sex subgroups, use of any of the assessed tobacco products was significantly higher among all veteran groups than their nonveteran counterparts, except males aged ≥50 years. Expanding the reach of evidence-based tobacco control interventions among veterans could reduce tobacco use prevalence in this population.

FIGURE

Prevalence of current (past 30-day) use of noncigarette tobacco product among former cigarette smokers and cigarette quit ratios, among military veterans and nonveterans, by age and sex — National Survey on Drug Use and Health, United States, 2010–2015 * Noncigarette tobacco product includes cigars, roll-your-own tobacco, pipes, and smokeless tobacco. ^† Cigarette quit ratio was calculated as the proportion of former smokers (persons who smoked ≥100 cigarettes during lifetime and did not smoke in the past 12 months) among ever smokers (persons who smoked ≥100 cigarettes during lifetime). ^§ Veterans were individuals who reported having ever been in the U.S. Armed Forces and currently being separated or retired from reserves/active duty at the time of the survey (pooled n = 13,140). Nonveterans were individuals who reported having never been in the U.S. Armed Forces (pooled n = 224,648). Prevalence of current use of noncigarette tobacco product among former smokers was significantly different among veterans and nonveterans in males aged 35–49 years and males aged ≥50 years (p<0.05). Cigarette quit ratios were significantly different among veterans and nonveterans in females aged 18–25 years; males aged ≥50 years; and females aged ≥50 years (p<0.05).