Problem/Objective: Research has shown that tobacco use is Wisconsin's leading preventable cause of premature death and disease. Accordingly, reducing levels of tobacco use is a top goal of Wisconsin's public health programs. Rates of tobacco use are important to examine to determine efficacy of interventions from tobacco control programs and policies. This study will examine overall trends in smoking prevalence among adults in Wisconsin compared to the US. Additionally, trends in smoking prevalence of Wisconsin adults will be examined by gender, age, race, and other demographic characteristics.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 1990-2005 and analyzed using SAS 9.1 software.

Results: Overall, the trend in adult smoking prevalence in Wisconsin over the past 16 years is a slight decrease. From 1990 to 2005, the rate decreased from 25% to 21%, a relative percent decrease of 16%. Most demographic subgroups in Wisconsin also showed a slight decrease. Along with the slight decrease in overall smoking prevalence, the amount of cigarette consumption among smokers has also fallen in recent years.

Conclusions: Despite the well-known health risks of tobacco use, there has not been much change in smoking prevalence among Wisconsin adults in the past 16 years. Over 1 in 5 adults in Wisconsin still smoke, and this continues to be a challenge to Wisconsin's tobacco control programs and a burden on Wisconsin's health care system.