In the first national study to compare smoking rates between the two groups, researchers say that smoking is more prominent in people with disabilities.
More than 10 million Americans with disabilities smoke. One fourth of disabled Americans are prone to smoking as compared to about one in five among the non-disabled.
A large number of disabled people have been advised to see a doctor or nurse recently, in addition to quitting cigarettes, the CDC study found.
The study included disabilities such as people with mental illness and drug and alcohol addictions. Such groups are known to have higher smoking rates.
The report also found that many disabled people who turn to smoking are low-income, and poor people have higher smoking rates. Among people with lower incomes, disabled people smoked at a higher rate of 37 percent than non-disabled poor people 23 percent.
Brian Armour, a CDC health economist who was the study's lead author said, "We find that disability still matters."
CDC conducted the nationwide study through a random-digit-dialed telephone survey in 2004 of about 294,000 U.S. adults.
The report found Delaware to have the highest smoking rate among people with disabilities, about 39 percent. The state also had the largest gap in smoking prevalence between disabled and non-disabled people, 17 percentage points.
However, no specific reason is given for the high rates.
In Virginia, for example, about 25 percent of disabled people were reported to smoke, compared to less than 20 percent of those without a disability.
The lowest rate was in Puerto Rico with about 12 percent.
