Tobacco use linked to crisis in Appalachia

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Placing much of the blame on smoking, a study chronicling the health crisis in Appalachia has concluded that the 13-state region suffers from a growing disparity in infant mortality and life expectancy.

The study, published in the August issue of Health Affairs, compared infant mortality and life expectancy rates in Appalachia with the rest of the U.S. between 1990 and 2013. It found that while the rates were similar in the 1990s, by 2013 infant mortality across Appalachia was 16 percent higher than the rest of the country while life expectancy for adults was 2.4 years shorter.

While the region has been the focus of the opioid epidemic, the study found one of the biggest culprits was likely the prevalence of smoking and acceptance of tobacco use. Gopal K. Singh, a co-author of the study and a senior health equity adviser with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noted nearly 20 percent of Appalachian women report they smoked during pregnancy. In the rest of the country, it’s 8 percent.

“Smoking takes a tremendous toll on the health of Appalachians,” the authors wrote.

The study used the federal Appalachian Regional Commission to define the region, which includes all of the counties in West Virginia along with some counties in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.