2024 BRFSS Survey Results: Western North Carolina

Lung Cancer Screening

How old were you when you first started to smoke cigarettes regularly?*

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  Total
Respond.^
1 to 14 years old 15 to 17 years old 18 years old 19 to 24 years old 25+ years old
N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%)
North Carolina 1,493 237 17.0 14.8-19.5 500 35.4 32.5-38.4 264 18.0 15.8-20.5 322 19.0 16.8-21.4 170 10.6 8.9-12.5
Western 301 52 23.4 17.5-30.5 92 30.3 24.3-36.9 61 20.6 15.5-26.8 62 15.9 11.5-21.6 34 9.8 6.6-14.4
GENDER
Male 155 29 27.5 18.9-38.2 49 28.9 21.4-37.8 32 19.9 13.6-28.3 29 14.2 9.3-21.0 16 9.5 5.5-15.9
Female 146 23 18.9 12.0-28.5 43 31.7 22.9-42.0 29 21.4 14.0-31.2 33 17.8 10.9-27.6 18 10.2 5.7-17.7
RACE
Non-Hispanic White 257 43 23.7 17.4-31.5 86 32.1 25.6-39.3 51 19.9 14.6-26.5 51 15.7 10.9-21.9 26 8.7 5.4-13.6
Non-Hispanic Black 15 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other 27 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
AGE
18-34 29 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
35-44 37 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
45-54 47 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
55-64 47 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
65-74 78 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 18 19.9 11.9-31.3 *** *** ***
75+ 62 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
EDUCATION
Less Than H.S. 35 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
H.S. or G.E.D. 73 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Some Post-H.S. 98 *** *** *** *** *** *** 14 15.7 8.6-26.7 18 14.1 8.2-23.1 *** *** ***
College Graduate 94 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY
Yes 138 24 24.1 15.7-35.2 43 30.6 22.3-40.3 29 23.0 15.5-32.7 27 13.0 8.3-19.8 15 9.3 5.1-16.3
No 162 28 23.1 15.5-33.0 48 29.2 21.3-38.6 32 19.0 12.7-27.5 35 18.3 11.9-27.2 19 10.3 6.0-17.2
VETERAN STATUS
Veteran 36 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Non-Veteran 264 43 22.6 16.5-30.1 77 28.4 22.3-35.3 56 22.1 16.6-28.8 56 16.4 11.7-22.6 32 10.5 7.0-15.5
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed or Self-Employed 119 22 22.7 14.4-33.9 35 30.6 21.7-41.2 28 22.6 15.1-32.6 20 15.3 8.5-25.8 14 8.8 5.0-14.9
Unemployed 12 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Retired 123 *** *** *** 35 27.3 18.7-38.0 24 19.4 12.0-29.9 33 21.7 14.4-31.4 *** *** ***
Unable to Work 34 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other not in Labor Force 13 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Less than $15,000 16 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$15,000- 24,999 25 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$25,000- 34,999 36 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$35,000- 49,999 48 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$50,000- 74,999 35 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$75,000+ 86 *** *** *** *** *** *** 14 10.3 5.7-17.9 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Don't know/Not sure or Refused 55 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
POVERTY LEVEL2
Less than 50% 9 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
50% to 100% 24 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
101% to 150% 43 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
151% to 200% 18 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
More than 200% 151 21 17.5 10.8-27.0 47 31.6 23.5-41.0 33 19.5 13.2-27.9 36 20.1 13.1-29.7 14 11.3 6.3-19.6
Don't know/Not sure or Refused 55 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
HOUSING
Own 223 37 22.9 16.2-31.2 69 30.3 23.5-38.0 48 21.0 15.3-28.1 42 15.4 10.4-22.1 27 10.5 6.7-16.1
Rent 66 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other arrangement 12 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
RURAL-URBAN RESIDENT1
Regional City or Suburban County 95 *** *** *** *** *** *** 17 16.3 9.6-26.4 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Rural 206 40 25.2 18.1-33.9 53 25.8 19.1-33.8 44 22.5 16.1-30.4 41 14.8 10.4-20.6 28 11.8 7.5-18.0
NC DEPT OF COMMERCE COUNTY TIER3
Most Distressed Counties (Tier 1) 38 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Less Distressed Counties (Tier 2) 168 33 27.3 19.2-37.4 43 25.6 18.3-34.6 36 21.6 14.9-30.4 34 13.7 9.2-19.8 22 11.7 7.0-19.0
Least Distressed Counties (Tier 3) 95 *** *** *** *** *** *** 17 16.3 9.6-26.4 *** *** *** *** *** ***
CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX4
1st Quartile - Least Vulnerable 170 29 25.7 17.7-35.9 56 33.4 25.3-42.5 35 17.9 12.3-25.3 37 16.4 10.4-24.9 13 6.6 3.7-11.7
2nd Quartile 56 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
3rd Quartile 75 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Back to Lung Cancer Screening.

*Asked of respondents that have smoked in the past or are currently smoking.
Regularly is at least one cigarette or more on days that a respondent smokes (either every day or some days) or smoked (not at all).

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the weighting methodology and other factors, results from 2024 are NOT comparable to 2010
and earlier years.

***The estimate was suppressed because it did not meet statistical reliability standards. See BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for more details.

1Based on U.S Census Bureau population estimates at the county level. Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

2Based on 2024 U.S Census Bureau poverty threshold incomes. Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

3NC Dept. of Commerce County Tier Classification, based on respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

4Quartile of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html) for respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2024 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

^Use caution in interpreting cell sizes less than 50, % = Percentage, C.I.(95%) = Confidence Interval (at 95 percent probability level).
Percentages are weighted to population characteristics and therefore cannot be calculated exactly from the numbers in this table.

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This page was generated on 18SEP25.

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