Adult Americans Maintain Their Smoking Habit Despite Declining Access to Food, Shelter or Healthcare

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite the fact that Americans’ access to basic necessities, such as food, medicine, shelter, and healthcare has reached a four-year low of 81.2 percent this October, 21.1 percent of adult Americans continue to smoke, according to new data pertaining to adult Americans 18 years or older from the October 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index^®(WBI). This marks the third month in a row that the percentage of Americans who smoke has reached 21 percent.

“As the economic burden of smoking continues to greatly affect the US healthcare system and the productivity of our businesses and communities, more employers are turning to mandates and incentives to get their employees to curb their nicotine addiction”

The results of the WBI basic access index indicates the impact that smoking costs may be having on the nation’s healthcare system. Even as the average cost of healthcare is poised to continue to increase¹, 30 percent of Americans who have not had enough money to pay for healthcare and/or medicine in the past 12 months are smokers. The percentage of smokers is cut in half (14.2 percent) when it comes to the population that can afford to pay for healthcare and/or medicine in the past 12 months. Of the Americans without a personal doctor, 27.5 percent smoke.

“As the economic burden of smoking continues to greatly affect the US healthcare system and the productivity of our businesses and communities, more employers are turning to mandates and incentives to get their employees to curb their nicotine addiction,” said Ben Leedle, Jr., Healthways President and CEO. “The October WBI smoking and basic access numbers reveal an alarming disparity in the US population, and show an immediate need for individuals to take steps to improve their own well-being, proactively controlling these costs.”

October data also reveals that of the 20 percent of Americans that did not have enough money to buy food within the past 12 months, 34.9 percent are smokers. The percentage of Americans who smoke drops drastically down to 13.8 percent for those who can afford to buy food. The same pattern is observed when looking at those who did/did not have enough money to provide adequate shelter in the past 12 months.

For more on the science and methodology behind the WBI, please visit www.well-beingindex.com.

About the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index^®

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the first and largest survey of its kind, with 1,000 calls a day, seven days a week. It is the official statistic for Well-Being in America, giving a daily measure of people's well-being at the close of every day based on the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health as not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being. The Well-Being Index describes the correlation between the places where people work and the communities in which they live, and how that and other factors impact their well-being. Additionally, the enterprise version of the Well-Being Index may be administered in workplaces throughout the U.S. to determine the Well-Being score of a specific employer population and how it compares to the employer’s state and nation. With such data, employers can uncover and address key factors that impact the productivity and financial health of the organization. For additional information, go to www.well-beingindex.com.

About Healthways

Healthways (NASDAQ:HWAY) is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve their health and well-being and, as a result, reduce overall costs. Healthways' solutions are designed to keep healthy people healthy, reduce health-related risks and optimize care for those with chronic illness. Our proven, evidence-based programs provide highly specific and personalized interventions for each individual in a population, irrespective of age or health status, and are delivered to consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-face interactions, both domestically and internationally. Healthways also provides a national, fully accredited complementary and alternative Health Provider Network and a national Fitness Center Network, offering convenient access to individuals who seek health services outside of, and in conjunction with, the traditional healthcare system. For more information, please visit www.healthways.com. For more information about the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, please visit www.well-beingindex.com.

¹ The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits 2011 Annual Survey; http://ehbs.kff.org/.