The Health and Economic Burden of Tobacco Use
Introduction
Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke continue to pose a significant public health and economic challenge in the United States. Each year, more than 16 million adults suffer from illnesses directly linked to tobacco consumption1. In 2021 alone, approximately 360,370 individuals died prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases2 (Maps 3.1.1 and 3.1.2).
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for a wide range of serious health conditions3,4, including:
- Fourteen types of cancer
- Six categories of cardiovascular disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Pneumonia including influenza
- Diabetes
- Renal failure
- Intestinal ischemia
- Hypertensive heart disease
- Infections
- Respiratory illnesses
Compared to individuals who have never smoked, current smokers face significantly elevated risks of mortality5:
- 2.30 times higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- 3.38 times higher risk of death from cancer
- 13.31 times higher risk of death from respiratory disease
Overall, tobacco use is responsible for 22.1% of all-cause mortality and 19.7% of the total loss of healthy life years (measured as disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs) from diseases linked to modifiable risk factors—including behavioral, metabolic, and environmental/occupational factors. This burden places substantial strain on the nation’s healthcare system and financial resources6 (Figures 3.1.3 and 3.1.4).
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for a wide range of serious health conditions3,4, including:
- Fourteen types of cancer
- Six categories of cardiovascular disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Pneumonia including influenza
- Diabetes
- Renal failure
- Intestinal ischemia
- Hypertensive heart disease
- Infections
- Respiratory illnesses
Compared to individuals who have never smoked, current smokers face significantly elevated risks of mortality5:
- 2.30 times higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- 3.38 times higher risk of death from cancer
- 13.31 times higher risk of death from respiratory disease
Overall, tobacco use is responsible for 22.1% of all-cause mortality and 19.7% of the total loss of healthy life years (measured as disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs) from diseases linked to modifiable risk factors—including behavioral, metabolic, and environmental/occupational factors. This burden places substantial strain on the nation’s healthcare system and financial resources6 (Figures 3.1.3 and 3.1.4).
Sources
- US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking—50 years of progress: a report of the surgeon general. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.
- Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) Results. Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2022. Available from https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ .
- Carter BD, Abnet CC, Feskanich D, Freedman ND, Hartge P, Lewis CE, Ockene JK, Prentice RL, Speizer FE, J, Jacobs EJ. Smoking and mortality—Beyond established causes. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2015; 372:631-40.
- Thun MJ, Carter BD, Feskanich D, Freedman ND, Prentice R, Lopez AD, Hartge P, Gapstur SM. 50-Year trends in smoking-related mortality in the United States. N Engl J Med 2013;368:351-64.
- Thomson B, Islami F. Association of smoking cessation and cardiovascular, cancer, and respiratory mortality. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2024; 184(1):110-112.
- Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) Results. Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2022. Available from https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ .