Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the health of smokers in general. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for you and your loved ones.
Tobacco use in West Virginia:
The consequences of tobacco use are well known to West Virginians, yet residents continue to use tobacco in alarming numbers.
While the use of traditional tobacco products in the United States (US) has declined in the past five decades, tobacco use levels in WV continue to rank among the highest in the nation. Conversely, use of electronic vaping devices (e-cigarettes) has been rising. In WV, 10.1% of adults reported current use in 2023 compared to 9.3% in 2022. Furthermore, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth.
West Virginia Tobacco Use Statistics:
Commercial tobacco products are manufactured by companies for recreational and habitual use in the form of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, hookahs, and other products. The tobacco industry spends $9.1 million in WV to market these products, compared to only a fraction of this amount dedicated to tobacco prevention and cessation efforts.
WV Adult Tobacco Use :
- 21.0% of adults are current smokers, compared to the national rate of 14.0%
- 7.7% of adults use smokeless tobacco products (chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus), which is second highest in the nation (3.4%)
- 9.3% off adults currently use electronic vapor products (such as e-cigarettes, vapes/vape pens, etc.), compared to the national rate of 7.7%
WV Youth Tobacco Use :
- 6.2% of high school students reported currently using smokeless tobacco products
- 9.7% of high school students reported currently smoking cigarettes or cigars
- 48.8% of high school students reported ever using an electronic vapor product
- 27.0% of high school students reported currently using electronic vapor products
- 13.0% of high school students reported daily use of electronic vapor products
- 28.5% of high school students reported currently smoking cigarettes or cigars or using smokeless tobacco or electronic vapor products
- Among high school students who reported using any tobacco products during the 12 months before, 55.6% reported they tried to quit using all tobacco products in the past year
- Among high school students who reported past month use of electronic vapor products, 3.4% reported buying them themselves in a convenience store, supermarket, discount store, or gas station
Health Outcomes:
- WV had the second-highest rate of tobacco-associated cancers in the U.S. at 223.1 cancers per 100,000 people
- The resident maternal smoking rate is 153.4 per 1,000 live births
- ucation groups. Adults with less than a high school diploma have the highest prevalence of current cigarette smoking (44.2%), and the prevalence is significantly higher than all other education groups.
For a graphic from Tobacco Free Kids on the Toll of Tobacco in WV. Please click here
The WV Division of Tobacco Prevention collaborates with the WV Bureau for Behavioral Health in providing assistance to improve tobacco cessation policies in behavioral health centers throughout the state. The Bureau for Behavioral Health has an online Clearing House which aims to provide agencies and practitioners with valuable information regarding the level of effectiveness for various interventions. Information regarding the efficacy of programs throughout West Virginia is included in this database. Practitioners are invited to request review of programs that are not currently listed in the clearinghouse.