DHSS Press Release

ADULT SMOKING RATE AT ITS LOWEST IN FIRST STATE

Cigarette smoking among adults in Delaware is at its lowest level since data collection began in 1982 and Delaware has the highest prevalence in the nation of colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer. Those are two of the most positive findings in a new report issued by the Delaware Division of Public Health entitled, Behavioral Risks in Delaware 2007-2008. This report is based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) which is an ongoing telephone-based survey of adult Delawareans, with a random sample of about 4,000 residents age 18 and older.

The following are highlights from the 2007-08 BRFS Report:

• 17.8 percent of Delaware adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2008 - down from 26.6 percent in 1997, when the Division's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program was established.
• Obesity, on the other hand, continues its upward trend. Nearly 28 percent of Delaware adults reported being obese in 2008. The percentage of obese adults has doubled in the state since 1990.
• Men are more likely to abuse alcohol than women; 7.2 percent of adult men in the state are chronic heavy drinkers, while 25.3 percent of adult men report "binge drinking".
• Slightly less than 5 percent of adults who reported drinking in the past month acknowledged that they had driven when they had “perhaps too much to drink.” Although this is a small percentage of the total adult population, it represents an estimated 18,800 people who were drinking and driving in the past month.
• There is continued good news about seat belt use: 89.1 percent of adults say they "always" use their seat belts, and 95.8 percent say they "always or nearly always"use their seat belts.
• Delaware efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening are having dramatic success. In 2008, 74.3 percent of Delaware adults age 50 and older reported they have had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy to detect colon cancer. Delaware now leads the nation in the prevalence of colonoscopy screening, moving up from third place in 2006.

The BRFS is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the interviewing is conducted by the Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research at the University of Delaware.

The Division of Public Health strongly encourages households to participate in the survey should they receive a call from the BRFS. Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH director, says, "Data produced by this study are essential for planning and evaluating effective public health programs that improve the quality of health in Delaware and help reduce long-term health costs." The report is available on the Division's web site at: www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/dpc/brfsurveys.html
Hard copies of the report can be requested from the Division’s Office of Health Education, Thomas Collins Building Suite 7, 540 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, 19901-4523.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.