Smoking Death Risk Appears to Be Rising—Study Finds a Surprising Reason
Summary
Deaths related to smoking seem to be rising in the U.S., even though fewer people smoke. A new study found that this rise is mainly because smokers today are older than in the past, and smoking harms increase with age, not because smoking itself has become more dangerous.Key Facts
- Smoking rates in the U.S. dropped from 42.6% in 1965 to 11.6% in 2022.
- Smoking among youth also dropped sharply from 36.4% in 1997 to 3.8% in 2021.
- The risk of dying from smoking-related diseases rose by about 50% between 1987 and 2013 when looking at the whole population.
- When comparing smokers and nonsmokers of the same age, the risk has stayed roughly the same over time.
- The rise in overall smoking death risk is due to an older group of smokers, as fewer young people are smoking.
- Older smokers have a higher chance of dying from smoking-related illnesses.
- The study used data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey from 1987 to 2013, linked with death records up to 2018.
- Researchers say smoking is still a major cause of preventable death but warn that age must be carefully considered when studying smoking risks.
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