Study: 2/3 of Mo. smokers want to quit in 6 months

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri health department study shows that nearly two-thirds of smokers surveyed want to quit in the next six months, with nearly 80 percent believing that they can stop at some point.

The survey also found that 23 percent of respondents statewide are smokers and 25 percent had smoked. Taney County in the southwestern part of the state on the Arkansas border had the highest percentage of smokers. Nodaway County in the northwest corner on the Iowa border had the lowest percentage.

The results are based on 49,513 interviews conducted with adults living throughout the state between February 2007 and April 2008. The Health and Senior Services Department study was paid for by a $1.5 million grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health and by federal funds.