Cornelius · MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2023 · Cross-sectional survey · n=?

Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2021.

Cited 806 times in the scientific literature.

Level 4 - case-series / case-control

Cross-sectional national survey (NHIS 2021), graded by design analogy.

PubMed 37141154 · doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7218a1 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

Researchers from the CDC, FDA, and National Cancer Institute analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to assess commercial tobacco product use among US adults aged 18 years and older.

What was found

An estimated 18.7% of US adults (46 million people) reported current tobacco product use in 2021. Reported product types were cigarettes (11.5%), e-cigarettes (4.5%), cigars (3.5%), smokeless tobacco (2.1%), and pipes/hookah (0.9%). Among tobacco users, 77.5% used combustible products and 18.1% used two or more products. Higher prevalence was observed among men, persons aged <65 years, non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic other race persons, rural residents, financially disadvantaged individuals, lesbian, gay, or bisexual adults, uninsured or Medicaid-enrolled adults, individuals whose highest education was a GED, persons with disabilities, and persons with serious psychological distress.

Why it matters

This report establishes 2021 US national prevalence benchmarks for combustible and non-combustible tobacco products, identifying key populations experiencing disproportionate use.

Limits

The abstract does not report the total participant sample size (n). Estimates rely entirely on self-reported survey responses subject to recall or reporting bias, and the cross-sectional design precludes longitudinal or causal assessment.

Cited by