Data-Cigarette Use Prevalence in Adults

The data table contains the adult smoking prevalence in California from the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) since 1984. Current cigarette smoking is defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes lifetime and now smoking everyday or smoke some days. The percentage is also broken down by gender. Caution must be used when comparing the percentages of smokers over time as the definition of “current smoker” was broadened in 1996 and the survey methods were changed in 2012. Prior to 1996, the definition of current cigarettes smoking was having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in lifetime and smoking now. Due to the methodology change in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend conducting analyses where estimates prior to 2011 are compared with analyses using the new methodology.