Tobacco Use, Mental Health and Hurricane Katrina

Introduction: In 2005, hurricane Katrina devastated the southeast corner of Louisiana, creating large-scale relocation and increases in residents' stress levels. Increases in mental illness symptoms have been observed in the aftermath of many previous natural disasters. Mental illness is a risk factor associated with tobacco use. Many studies have substantiated that substance abuse, including tobacco use, increases after natural disasters.

Hypothesis: An increase in mental illness symptoms after hurricane Katrina is associated with a greater risk of tobacco use.

Method: 2004 and 2006 BRFSS data on smoking status and mental illness symptoms were cross tabulated and compared for differences in a pre- and post-Katrina sample to determine whether declines in mental health are associated with tobacco use. Risk factors such as gender, income, and ethnicity were explored in depth to detect changes in mental illness symptoms and current smoking prevalence among high risk groups as well.

Results: In 2004 (pre-Katrina), the odds of being a current smoker if a person exhibited severe mental illness symptoms was 2.167 (CI= 2.150 to 2.185). In 2006 (post-Katrina), the odds rose to 2.476 (CI= 2.458 to 2.495). Thus, there is about a 12.5% increase in risk of being a smoker post-Katrina for those experiencing severe mental health symptoms.

Conclusion: Mental health should be considered after a disaster when exploring smoking prevalence.