The health and economic impact of cigarette smoking includes increased risks for chronic disease, diminished productivity and premature death. This report describes the health and economic toll of cigarette smoking in Illinois.

Health Consequences of Cigarette Smoking

• In Illinois, almost 18 percent of all deaths are smoking-attributable.1, 2
• During 1999,18,500 Illinois residents died from smoking-attributable causes, including cancer, heart diseases and respiratory diseases.1
• Smoking is responsible for 9 percent of births of short gestation or low birth weight, 3 percent of newborn respiratory distress syndrome cases, 5 percent of all other newborn respiratory conditions, and 13 percent of sudden infant death syndrome cases.1
• More than 251,900 years of potential life were lost due to premature death caused by smoking.1

Economic Consequences of Cigarette Smoking

• In 1998, more than $3 billion was spent on smoking-attributed health care costs. That amounts to almost $300 for every man, woman and child in Illinois.1
• During 2001, Illinois' estimated Medicaid expenditures totaled more than $7.6 billion. Nearly $1.4 billion of this was for smoking-related causes. Illinois' share of the smoking-related Medicaid costs was almost $690 million.3, 4
• Cigarette smoking is estimated to cost the state of Illinois nearly $3.206 billion each year for smoking-attributable health care costs and $3.819 billion in lost productivity.1

Table 1. Number of Smokers in Illinois, 2000

Table 2. Health Impact of Cigarette Smoking, 19991

Table 3. Economic Impact of Smoking1

Health Impact of Cigarette Smoking

• Of the 18,500 smoking-attributed deaths among Illinois residents during 1999, 7,000 were cardiovascular disease deaths; 7,000 were deaths from malignant neoplasms; and 4,500 were deaths from respiratory diseases attributed to smoking.1
• A total of 11,000 males died from smoking-attributable diseases. The majority of smoking-attributable deaths among males were from malignant neoplasms, followed by cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases.1
• A total of 7,500 females died from smoking-attributable disease. The majority of smoking-attributable deaths among females were from cardiovascular disease, followed by malignant neoplasms and respiratory diseases.1
• Approximately 251,900 years of potential life were lost due to premature death caused by smoking.1
• During 1999, the majority of smoking-attributable years of potential life lost were due to malignant neoplasms, followed by cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases.1

Table 4. Adult Smoking Prevalence by Strata, 20005

* Urban counties include Champaign, DeKalb, Kankakee, Kendall, McLean, Macon, Madison, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair, Tazewell and Winnebago.
** Collar counties include DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.

Table 5 depicts the total number of Illinois residents ages 35 and above who died during 1999, and the percentage of those deaths that were attributed to smoking. During 1999, nearly 18,500 Illinois residents died from smoking-attributable causes.¹

Table 5. Smoking Attributable Mortality, 1999

Economic Impact of Cigarette Smoking

Smoking is estimated to cost the state of Illinois more than $7 billion each year in combined smoking-attributable health care costs and lost productivity costs. During 2001, Illinois' total Medicaid expenditures amounted to approximately $7.6 billion. Of this, almost $1.4 billion was attributable to smoking-related causes; Illinois' share of the smoking-related Medicaid costs was nearly $690 million.1, 3, 4 The $3.206 billion spent on health care costs and the $3.819 billion spent on lost productivity accounts for an additional $8.18 per pack of cigarettes sold. 7

Figure 1. Smoking-Attributed Health Care Costs, 1998	Figure 2. Cost of Lost Productivity from Smoking, 1999
Millions of Dollars Total Costs $3.206 Billion	Millions of Dollars Total Cost $3.819 Billion

Annually, Illinois residents pay nearly $3.206 billion in smoking-attributable health care costs. Illinois residents lost more than 251,900 years of life due to premature death caused by smoking. The majority of years of life lost were due to smoking-related cancers: nearly 103,400 years. Heart disease was the second leading cause shortening the lives of Illinois residents (more than 98,900 years) followed by respiratory diseases (more than 49,600 years of life lost).1

Figure 3. Years of Potential Life Lost by Disease Group, 1999

Data Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (SAMMEC): Adult SAMMEC and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) SAMMEC software. Available on-line: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sammec, accessed April 2002. SAMMEC data reflects the economic and disease burden experienced by Illinois residents ages 35 and above, unless noted otherwise. Smoking-attributed data for infant deaths reflects maternal smoking prevalence.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Wonder, Mortality. Available on-line: www.wonder.cdc.gov, accessed April 2002. Percentage of "total deaths, all causes" calculated using CDC Wonder mortality data for Illinois residents ages 35 and older.
3. American Legacy Foundation. "Saving Lives, Saving Money. Why States Should Invest in a Tobacco-Free Future." Washington, D.C. American Legacy Foundation, 2002. Available on-line: www.americanlegacy.org, accessed April 2002.
4. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Increases to State Smoking-Caused Medicaid Costs 1993 to 2001 and Projected Future Savings From a 25% Reduction in State Smoking Rates." Available on-line: www.tobaccofreekids.org, accessed April 2002.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Available on-line: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/brfss, accessed April 2002. The number of adult smokers was calculated by multiplying the U.S. census data for the population of Illinois residents 18 years of age and older by the 2000 BRFSS smoking prevalence rate. Adults are individuals ages 18 and older. Smoking is defined as those who report that they smoke currently. Illinois strata data is from Illinois BRFSS, Illinois Center for Health Statistics, Illinois Department of Public Health, December 2001.
6. Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Illinois Center for Health Statistics, Illinois Department of Public Health, December 2001.
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STATE System, Tobacco Behavior, Economics and Health Cost, 1999 Daily Cigarette Consumption. Available on-line: www2cdc.gov/nccdphp/osh/state, accessed January 2002. Excess smoking cost per pack of cigarettes sold calculated using gender-specific daily cigarette consumption, gender-specific smoking prevalence, and total health care and lost productivity costs.