MMWR

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

(Box) Great American Smokeout – November 20, 2008

PRESS CONTACT: Office on Smoking and Health
(770) 488-5493

No summary available.

Cigarette Smoking Among Adults – United States, 2007

PRESS CONTACT: Office on Smoking and Health
(770) 488-5493

• Press Release

Based on the current rate of decline, it is unlikely that the national health objective of reducing the prevalence of adult cigarette smoking to 12 percent or lower will be met by 2010. One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults to <12 percent (objective 27.1a). To assess progress toward this objective, CDC analyzed self-reported data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). This report summarizes the finding of this analysis, which indicates that approximately 19.8 percent (43.4 million) of U.S. adults were current cigarette smokers in 2007. After 3 years during which prevalence in current cigarette smoking among adults remained virtually unchanged (20.9 percent in 2004, 20.9 percent in 2005, and 20.8 percent in 2006), the prevalence in 2007 (19.8 percent) was significantly lower than in 2006. In 2007, 39.8 percent (13.4 million) adult current everyday smokers had stopped smoking for one day or more in the past 12 months because they were trying to quit. Among the estimated 86.8 million adults who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime (defined as ever smokers), 52.1 percent (47.3 million) were no longer smoking at the time of the interview.

Smoking-Attributed Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses – United States, 2000-2004

PRESS CONTACT: Office on Smoking and Health
(770) 488-5493

Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States; however, sustained investments in comprehensive tobacco control programs as recommended by CDC can decrease smoking prevalence, prevent millions of premature deaths and save the country billions of dollars. According to CDC′s Adult and Child Health Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Cost (SAMMEC) software, during 2000–2004, an estimated 443,000 persons in the United States died prematurely each year as a result of smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. This figure is higher than the average annual estimate of approximately 438,000 deaths during 1997–2001 and is predominantly a result of population growth. Cigarette smoking remains a leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States and continues to impose substantial health and financial costs on society. During 2001–2004, the average annual smoking-attributable health-care expenditures nationwide were approximately $96 billion. When combined with productivity losses of $97 billion, the total economic burden of smoking is approximately $193 billion per year. In comparison, investments in comprehensive, state-based tobacco prevention and control programs in fiscal year 2007 were approximately 325-fold smaller than those costs.

Deaths Attributed to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – United States, 2000-2005

PRESS CONTACT: CDC
Division of Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) represents an important public health challenge that is both preventable and treatable. Globally, the COPD burden is projected to increase in coming decades because of continued exposure to COPD risk factors and aging of the population. Smoking and exposure to air pollutants are major risk factors for COPD. To reverse increases in the number of COPD deaths and decrease the burden of COPD, public health programs should continue efforts to reduce personal exposure to tobacco smoke, including passive smoke exposure; occupational dusts and chemicals; and other indoor and outdoor air pollutants linked to COPD. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. COPD accounted for 1 in 20 deaths in the United States during 2005. During 2000-2005, the overall age-standardized mortality rate from COPD in the United States was fairly stable increasing by 8 percent—rising from 116.494 to126, 005. CDC analyzed 2000-2005 data from the National Vital Statistics System and found that more women (65,193) than men (60,812) died from COPD in 2005 compared to the number of COPD deaths being relatively the same for women and men in 2000—58,436 and 58,058, respectively. The study also found that the death rates from COPD increased among women (54.4 to 56.0 per 100,000), while rates decreased among men (83.8 to 77.3 per 100,000) during the same period.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES