State Tobacco Control Program Spending--United States, 2011.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Comprehensive, sustained, and accountable tobacco control programs are proven to reduce smoking rates, diseases, and deaths.
• States with higher investments in tobacco prevention and control show greater reductions in cigarette sales.
• Increased spending on tobacco control programs is linked to faster declines in smoking prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze state expenditures on tobacco control programs in relation to CDC's Best Practices guidelines.
• To assess the extent to which states are funding recommended tobacco control and prevention efforts.

Main Methods:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessed state tobacco control program expenditures for fiscal year 2011.
• Analysis compared actual state spending against recommended funding levels outlined in CDC's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs.

Main Results:

• In fiscal year 2011, states collectively spent approximately $658 million on tobacco control and prevention.
• This spending represented less than 3% of states' tobacco sales revenue and only 17.8% of the CDC-recommended funding level.
• Underfunding of tobacco control programs was observed across states.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based, comprehensive tobacco control programs are crucial for reducing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.
• Increased funding for tobacco prevention and control efforts, aligned with CDC recommendations, could yield more significant and rapid reductions in tobacco use.
• States are underinvesting in proven tobacco control strategies, hindering progress in reducing the burden of tobacco-related diseases.