Changes in cigarette use and nicotine dependence in the United States: evidence from the 2001-2002 wave of the national epidemiologic survey of alcoholism and related conditions.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the roles of gender and poverty in cigarette use and nicotine dependence among adults in the United States.

METHODS

Our data were drawn from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiological Survey of Alcoholism and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of US adults 18 years and older.

RESULTS

The overall rate of cigarette use declined between 1964 and 2002. Nicotine dependence does not appear to have declined overall, and there is evidence that nicotine dependence has increased among women in recent cohorts. The odds of nicotine dependence among cigarette users appear to have increased significantly in recent cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite recent declines in cigarette use, the prevalence of nicotine dependence has increased among some groups and has remained steady overall, which may be hampering public health initiatives to reduce cigarette use. Efforts to study or curb cigarette use should therefore take nicotine dependence into account.