Americans' Health Ranks 43rd Globally, Despite Spending Most on Healthcare

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) unveils report results, demonstrating that large disparities in tobacco use hamper health efforts

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Action on Smoking and Health

May 30, 2017, 10:47 ET

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) released a report, Tobacco in America: Leaving the Vulnerable Behind, highlighting the US.'s failure to live up to aspirational global goals regarding tobacco use. While national smoking prevalence has been driven down over the past two decades, specific communities like the poor and less educated bear a disproportionate share of the costs of tobacco. Partly as a result, the U.S. now ranks 43^rd in the world, despite spending more than any other country per capita on health.

Many U.S. statistics on tobacco do not tell the whole story; ASH's report breaks down the statistics to show the truth of who is hurt most by tobacco in the U.S. today. Read more: ash.org/tobacco-in-america

The report, released for World No Tobacco Day, compares U.S. progress towards implementing measures and reaching global health goals targeting tobacco use. Overall, tobacco remains the #1 cause of preventable death in America, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths, and costs the U.S. economy more than $300 billion per year.

Read the full report here: http://ash.org/tobacco-in-america.

Nationally, about 15% of U.S. adults smoke, down from nearly 50% in the 1960s. However, progress has been far from uniform. The following demographics smoke at much higher rates:

Racial minorities like Native Americans
Marginalized groups like the LGBTQI community
Those who are less educated or living in poverty
Southern & Midwestern states

"The U.S. will be embarrassed to report on progress made toward these global goals. Americans are less protected than much poorer countries, despite spending more on health care," said Laurent Huber, Executive Director of ASH.

ASH shines a spotlight on our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., which has made important strides in reducing smoking but still lives with large disparities in smoking rates according to neighborhood, education, race and income.

Many regulations in the U.S. are done at the state or local level, and while some states have made it a priority, many have done little or nothing to reduce smoking. ASH's report urges the US, states, cities and counties to increase their efforts to fight the tobacco epidemic.

ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America's oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. www.ash.org

Contact: Megan Arendt
[email protected]
(202) 659 – 4310

SOURCE Action on Smoking and Health