LOWVILLE — Tobacco use among Lewis County residents has dropped slightly from two years ago and is significantly lower than the regional average, according to results from a recent survey.
"It's very encouraging," said Terra L. House, director of the Tobacco Prevention Awareness Cessation Coalition, operated by Mountain View Prevention Services in Lowville and Watertown.
According to a December survey of 400 Lewis County adult residents conducted by Joel LaLone Consulting, Watertown, 15.3 percent of respondents said they use at least one type of tobacco product.
That's down from 18.1 percent in a similar survey conducted in December 2005 and well below the regional average of 24.7 percent.
Regional averages are derived using findings from 16 Central and Northern New York counties, including Jefferson and Lewis, that have conducted tobacco studies within the past 18 months.
Results of questions answered by all respondents have a margin of error of 4 to 5 percentage points, according to a survey summary.
Ms. House said her organization annually commissions tobacco use surveys, alternating between Jefferson and Lewis counties.
According to the most recent study, 9.3 percent of Lewis County residents use cigarettes only, while an additional 3.1 percent use other tobacco products and 2.9 percent use both cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Lewis County has "one of the lowest smoking rates in the state," Ms. House said.
That should not only provide health-related benefits but also allow residents' discretionary money to be spent on other things, she said.
"I think it's good news all the way around," Ms. House said.
However, at 3.7 percent, the rate of smokeless tobacco use in Lewis County is relatively high in comparison with regional and statewide averages, she said.
Along with the usage rates, Ms. House said, she was encouraged by respondents' apparent knowledge of smoking risks and support for smoke-free policies.
"People just don't want to be around it," she said.
According to survey results, 92.4 percent of respondents — including 70.9 percent of smokers — consider exposure to secondhand smoke to be harmful.
Eighty-one percent of respondents said they do not allow smoking in their homes, while 83 percent said their vehicles are smoke-free. Those rates are significantly higher than the regional averages of 73.2 percent and 71.3 percent, respectively.
A relatively high number of Lewis County residents also would support restricting or eliminating smoking at five types of public locations: 90.7 percent at playgrounds, 88.2 percent at public building entryways, 85 percent at parks, 83.2 percent at outdoor events and 82.4 percent at beaches.
According to the study, 47 percent of smokers indicated they want to quit smoking now, while 42.1 percent said they have tried to quit. Those rates are down from 66.7 percent and 57.3 percent in 2005.
Of the ex-smokers surveyed, 9.6 percent quit within the past three years, with gradually cutting back listed as the most common successful strategy.
