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Home>Smoking> 45,800,000 American Adults Smoke
45,800,000 American Adults Smoke
In 2002, a total of 45,800,000 US adults (22.5%) were current smokers, a decrease from 24.1% in 1998, and an estimated 46
million adults were former smokers (1). For the first time, more adults had quit smoking than were still smoking (1).
To assist in continuing this trend, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is sponsoring the 28th Great American Smokeout on
November 18, 2004. Cigarette smokers are encouraged to quit smoking for at least 24 hours in the hope they might stop
smoking.
The likelihood of permanently quitting smoking is increased when effective therapies are used, such as physician assistance,
pharmacologic treatment, and behavioral counseling (2).
In addition to individual methods, an environmental approach to reducing tobacco use involves increasing the excise tax for
tobacco products, developing multicomponent mass media campaigns, fostering provider reminder systems, using telephone
quitlines, reducing patient out-of-pocket costs for effective cessation therapies, and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke
through smoking bans and restrictions (3).
Additional information about the Great American Smokeout is available at http://www.cancer.org or by telephone, 800-227-2345.
References
1 CDC. Cigarette smoking among adults---United States, 2002. MMWR 2004;53:427--31.
2 Fiore MC, Bailey WC, Cohen SJ, et al. Treating tobacco use and dependence: clinical practice guidelines. Rockville, MD: US
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; 2000. AHQR publication 00-0032.
3 CDC. Strategies for reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, increasing tobacco-use cessation, and reducing
initiation in communities and health-care systems: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive
Services. MMWR 2000;49(No. RR-12):2--9.
 
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