Cigarette Smoking

The 1982 United States Surgeon General's report stated that"Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality (death) in the United States." This statement is as true today as it was in 1982.

Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use are acquired behaviors -- activities that people choose to do -- smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in our society.

Here you will find a brief overview of cigarette smoking: who smokes, how smoking affects health, what makes it so hard to quit, and what some of the many rewards of quitting are.

Who smokes?

Adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 43.4 million US adults were current smokers in 2007 (the most recent year for which numbers are available). This is 19.8% of all adults (22.3% of men, 17.4% of women) -- about 1 out of 5 people.

When broken down by race/ethnicity, the numbers were as follows:

Whites	21.4%
African Americans	19.8%
Hispanics	13.3%
American Indians/Alaska Natives	36.4%
Asian Americans	9.6%

There were more cigarette smokers in the younger age groups. In 2007, the CDC reported almost 22.8% of those 25 to 44 years old were current smokers, compared to 8.3% in those aged 65 or older.

High school and middle school students

Nationwide, 20% of high school students were smoking cigarettes in 2007. The most recent survey of middle school students shows that 6% were smoking cigarettes. More White and Hispanic students smoked cigarettes.