The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing cigarette smoking is at an all-time low.
What We Know:
- According to the report, 49.1 million U.S. adults (19.7%) used tobacco products in 2018. CDC Director Robert Redfield approved of the numbers saying, “This marked decline in cigarette smoking is the achievement of a consistent and coordinated effort by the public health community and our many partners”. He continued, “Yet, our work is far from over.”
- The most commonly used tobacco product is cigarettes which accounts for 13.7% of tobacco usage. Cigars, cigarillos and e-cigarettes account for the majority of the other tobacco products.
- While cigarette use is declining, another tobacco product is becoming more popular. The report found that e-cigarette use during 2017-2018 increased from 2.8% to 3.2%. Young adults ages 18-24 are responsible for the increase. In comparison to the 5.2% in 2017, 7.6% of this demographic reported using e-cigarettes .
- The research also found that certain demographics are more likely to use tobacco products. This includes adults who are age 25-44 (23.8%), uninsured individuals (29.9%), and disabled adults (24.3%.)
- The CDC reports that cigarette smoking is the “leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the U.S”. Cigarette smoking causes nearly 500,000 deaths per year. There are many resources available to smokers trying to kick the habit like the FDA’s Every Try Counts campaign and the toll-free national helpline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Let’s leave tobacco in 2019.
