Smoking more prevalent among mentally ill

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ATLANTA, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- People with mental illness are far more likely to smoke than those with no mental illness, U.S. researchers say.

A Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found U.S. adults with some form of mental illness have a smoking rate 70 percent higher than adults with no mental illness.

The report also found 36 percent of adults with a mental illness were cigarette smokers, compared with 21 percent of adults who do not have a mental illness.

Earlier research showed nearly 1-in-5 U.S. adults -- about 45.7 million Americans -- have some type of mental illness.

Smoking prevalence was especially high among younger adults with mental illness, those living below the poverty line and those with lower levels of education, the report said.

Smoking varied widely among the states, ranging from 18.2 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in West Virginia, the report said.