Kentucky Tops Smoking List, Is Low in Exercise
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ATLANTA — Kentucky has the highest proportion of smokers and Utah lights up the least, while New Yorkers are the most sedentary and Montanans the most active, a government health survey said today.
The Centers for Disease Control study lists the proportion of exercisers, alcohol drinkers, smokers and seat-belt users in 32 states during 1987 in a survey aimed at helping governments better combat disease.
Lack of funding prevented a study of all 50 states, the CDC said.
The prevalence of three risk factors related to cardiovascular disease--excess weight, smoking and sedentary life style--varied widely by state, the CDC said.
In Kentucky, nearly one-third of the population, 32.3%, still smokes, contrasted with 15% in Utah, the study said. West Virginia was next with 28.8% still smoking, followed closely by Indiana with 28.7%. The smallest percentage of smokers next to Utah was found in Idaho, with 20.5%.
The government wants to cut the smoking rate to 25% nationwide by 1990.
The study said 73.5% of New Yorkers qualified as sedentary--participating in leisure time physical activity fewer than 20 minutes, three times a week. Nebraskans were next with a 69.9% sedentary rate, followed by Kentuckians, at 69.6%, according to the study.
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