As the New York State smoking rate among adults dips below 10 percent for the first time ever, a regional partnership in the North Country is working to drive that number even lower.
The most recent data from the New York State Department of Health, released earlier this summer, revealed that the prevalence of smoking in adults statewide is 9.3 percent — the first time this figure has dropped below double digits. The study comes from research conducted in 2023, which showed that approximately 1.4 million New Yorkers currently smoke cigarettes.
Even as the smoking rate hits an all-time low, North Country Nicotine Consultants (NCNC) continues to work regionally to help even more people quit. NCNC is a collaborative effort between The Heart Network and Glens Falls Hospital which provides resources and consultation to health care providers to help increase delivery of comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for nicotine addiction. The partnership also works to connect smokers with the NYS Quitline, which offers a wide array of free services that help people quit.
“We’re thrilled to see the smoking rate drop to a historic low,” said Lauralee Tucker, program coordinator at the Glens Falls Hospital Health Promotion Center. “But even as we celebrate this win, tobacco is still taking lives. Smoking is still the number one cause of preventable death in New York and nationwide. It still puts a tremendous strain on our healthcare system — it’s responsible for $2.7 billion in Medicaid costs and $9.7 billion in overall health care costs in our state alone. And the use of products like smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes are still highly prevalent among youth. We have a lot of work to do.”
“This is cause for celebration, but digging into the numbers, the rates of smoking among adults are the highest among lower income New Yorkers, making this a matter of health equity,” said Brielle Carnright, tobacco project coordinator for The Heart Network. “The prevalence of smoking for adults with less than a high school education, household income under $25,000 annually and — maybe most alarming — those without health insurance is still over 15 percent.”
NCNC’s primary focus is bolstering resources for health care providers. In any given year, 70% of tobacco users will visit a health care provider. Clinicians can treat tobacco use and dependency as they would any other chronic disease, with behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy.
“Just three to five minutes of brief counseling can double a patient’s chance of quitting successfully,” Tucker noted. “Long term quit rates increase 20 percent with consistent follow up counseling and up to 30 percent when counseling is combined with pharmacotherapy. A simple conversation can make all the difference.”
Anyone seeking assistance to become tobacco-free can contact the NYS Quitline by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). They can also visit nysmokefree.com to reach a specialist through an online chat, request a call-back or order free nicotine replacement therapy medications.
To learn more about NCNC, or to learn about local tobacco cessation resources in northern New York, Morgan Greenwood at mgreenwood@heartnetwork.org or Laurelee Tucker at ltucker2@glensfallshosp.org.
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