Wyoming Smoking Rates Declining
Written by Andrew-Rossi on February 6, 2018
Smoking is on the decline in Wyoming, but the health impacts continue to affect the lives of residents, and go far beyond lung cancer.
That’s according to new data gathered by the Wyoming Department of Health. The information shows that while smoking rates have declined in the state, the harmful link to health conditions such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, heart disease and dental issues is well established. That’s according to Joe Grandpre, who is the Chronic Disease and Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Unit manager with the Department of Health.
Grandpre said Wyoming’s smoking rate among adults right now is 18.9 percent; fifteen years ago, the same rate was 24.6 percent. And while he points out that this is the first year results have shown more women smokers than men, Grandpre said Wyoming men tend to use other tobacco products such as smokeless tobacco at higher rates than women.
The department also identified lung cancer as the third most diagnosed cancer in both 2014 and 2015, behind breast cancer and prostate cancer – but lung cancer continues to be the number one cause of cancer death in Wyoming.
