Comparison of hardcore and non-hardcore smokers in Missouri
| Hardcore smokers (%) | Non-hardcore smokers (%) | p Value | |
| Demographics | |||
| Age (years) | |||
| 26–44 | 31.0 | 52.5 | <0.001 |
| 45–64 | 49.3 | 40.2 | |
| 65+ | 19.7 | 7.3 | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 58.2 | 48.8 | <0.001 |
| Female | 41.8 | 51.2 | |
| Race | |||
| African American/black | 4.0 | 13.0 | <0.001 |
| Hispanic | 0.6 | 1.8 | |
| Non-Hispanic white | 92.8 | 82.4 | |
| Other | 2.6 | 2.9 | |
| Marital status | |||
| Married | 51.9 | 53.7 | <0.001 |
| Divorced | 18.4 | 17.3 | |
| Widowed | 9.6 | 5.3 | |
| Never married | 12.3 | 13.2 | |
| Other | 7.9 | 10.6 | |
| Education level | |||
| Less than high school | 20.3 | 13.8 | <0.001 |
| High school graduate or GED | 45.9 | 39.0 | |
| Some college | 23.4 | 30.1 | |
| College graduate | 10.4 | 17.2 | |
| Health insurance | |||
| Yes | 71.4 | 77.1 | 0.009 |
| No | 28.6 | 22.9 | |
| Annual household income | |||
| <$15 000 | 20.1 | 14.3 | <0.001 |
| $15 000–$24 999 | 20.3 | 19.8 | |
| $25 000–$39 999 | 22.0 | 13.8 | |
| $40 000–$49 999 | 16.7 | 19.7 | |
| $50 000–$74 999 | 9.9 | 17.0 | |
| $75 000+ | 10.9 | 15.4 | |
| Employment status | |||
| Employed | 43.6 | 56.3 | <0.001 |
| Out of work/unable to work | 20.3 | 19.4 | |
| Retired | 20.5 | 8.9 | |
| Self-employed/home maker/student | 15.6 | 15.4 | |
| Rurality | |||
| Urban | 62.2 | 70.7 | <0.001 |
| Large rural | 7.2 | 6.4 | |
| Small rural | 21.1 | 16.4 | |
| Isolated | 9.5 | 6.4 | |
| Smoking characteristics, environment, health beliefs and health status | |||
| Smoking initiation | |||
| Age when first whole cigarette (mean (SD)) | 14.6 (3.9) | 15.8 (4.4) | 0.006 |
| Initiation age (mean (SD)) | 16.5 (3.9) | 18.5 (5.0) | <0.001 |
| Quitting self-efficacy | |||
| Very likely | 28.8 | 38.2 | <0.001 |
| Somewhat likely | 11.9 | 43.5 | |
| Somewhat unlikely | 9.3 | 11.4 | |
| Very unlikely | 49.9 | 6.9 | |
| Advice from health professionals on smoking | |||
| Seen doctor/nurse/other health professional* | 65.0 | 68.7 | 0.034 |
| Doctor/nurse/other health professional asked if smoked* † | 92.8 | 92.3 | 0.676 |
| Doctor/nurse/other health professional advised to quit* † | 68.0 | 73.1 | 0.013 |
| Dentist asked whether smoked* ‡ | 47.0 | 53.3 | 0.046 |
| Dentist advised to quit* ‡ | 48.8 | 63.2 | <0.001 |
| Cessation services | |||
| Awareness of available cessation assistance (eg, quitlines, health clinics, etc) | 82.9 | 75.7 | <0.001 |
| Employer offered cessation programmes/help for employees* | 16.4 | 29.8 | <0.001 |
| Perceived health status | |||
| Excellent | 15.0 | 9.3 | <0.001 |
| Very good | 21.1 | 30.4 | |
| Good | 33.4 | 37.0 | |
| Fair | 19.8 | 15.1 | |
| Poor | 10.6 | 8.2 | |
| Health limitations | |||
| Limited in any way due to physical, mental or emotional problems | 31.7 | 27.4 | 0.009 |
| Attitudes about second-hand smoke | |||
| Agree: ‘Breathing smoke from other people’s cigarettes is harmful to one's health.' | 44.8 | 79.5 | <0.001 |
| Agree: ‘If a person has smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for more than 20 years there is not much health benefit to quitting.’ | 34.3 | 17.8 | <0.001 |
| Lives with someone who smokes cigarettes | 63.9 | 54.5 | <0.001 |
| Smoking not allowed in the home | 12.0 | 36.5 | <0.001 |
| Smoking not allowed in the car | 4.4 | 18.9 | <0.001 |
| Protected from second-hand smoke at work among those who work indoors | 65.4 | 73.7 | 0.003 |
| Exposed to second-hand smoke in the last week | |||
| In own home | 55.2 | 39.9 | <0.001 |
| In a car | 71.6 | 62.3 | <0.001 |
| At work (those who work indoors) | 23.2 | 19.1 | 0.104 |
| Believes that second-hand smoke is a cause of: | |||
| Heart disease in adults | 34.9 | 47.2 | <0.001 |
| Respiratory problems in children | 72.5 | 87.8 | <0.001 |
| Sudden infant death syndrome | 10.9 | 30.7 | <0.001 |
| Believes that smoking cigarettes is a cause of: | |||
| Heart attack | 57.5 | 69.8 | <0.001 |
| Stroke | 44.4 | 64.6 | <0.001 |
| Low birth weight | 53.2 | 79.5 | <0.001 |
| Impotence | 18.5 | 37.1 | <0.001 |