The percentage of North Carolinians who smoke has hit an all-time low. George Olsen has more.
A press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services says data from the N-C State Center for Health Statistics indicates 17.9 percent of state adults smoked in 2016, the lowest ever recorded. That’s higher than the national average of 17.1 percent. The report noted certain populations with higher smoking rates, including one-in-five residents living in rural counties and one-in-four who are disabled. Similarly, those with less education, lower income and were unemployed had a higher smoking rate than those with more education, higher income and were working. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in North Carolina. I’m George Olsen.
