The percentage of American adults who smoked was continually dropping up until the year 2005. Since then, it has varied between 20 and 21%. Interested in the cold hard facts about smoking, reasons to quit smoking, and how smoking is affecting the US as a whole? The below facts are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of the percentages will shock you!
54% of 3-11 year old children were exposed to secondhand smoke during 2007-2008.
40% of non-smokers of all ages were subjected to passive smoking during the same time frame.
98% of children who live with a person who smokes are found to have measurable levels of toxic chemicals which came from tobacco smoke.
In 2009, almost 24% of adult males and 18% of adult females in the USA smoked.
25% of adults with no high school diploma in America smoke, compared to just 6% of college graduates.
90 million non-smokers in the USA have measurable levels of toxic chemicals from tobacco smoke as a result of passive smoking (secondhand smoke).
Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in this country.
Utah has the lowest percentage of adult smokers in the USA, followed by California.
Between 2000 and 2006 smoking prevalence in California dropped by approximately 40%. Lung cancer incidence in California has been falling four times faster than in the rest of the country.
New York, Washington and Maine have seen reductions in youth smoking ranging from 45% to 60%. Statewide efforts have played a huge part.
Five million fewer Americans would smoke if every state supported comprehensive tobacco control programs for 5 years with CDC-recommended levels of funding. Five million fewer smokers would eventually lead to a drop in premature tobacco-related deaths.
The federal government is intensifying its efforts to reduce tobacco use in order to achieve the tobacco use targets in Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020.
The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products and has created new opportunities to reduce tobacco use.
46.6 million Men and Women (one in five U.S. adults) currently smoke (CDC).
Smoking causes about 443,000 premature deaths, accounts for up to 30% of cancer deaths, and is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States.
The CDC informs that smoking is known to cause the following diseases:
- lung cancer
- mouth cancer
- stomach cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- kidney cancer
- colorectal cancer
- cervical cancer
- bladder cancer
- leukemia
- heart attacks
- stroke
- blindness
- pneumonia
- emphysema
- other lung diseases
- and many other health problems
Progress is possible. Strong state laws that protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke, higher cigarette prices, aggressive ad campaigns that show the human impact of smoking and well-funded tobacco control programs decrease the number of adult smokers and save lives.