Since 1977, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has sponsored
the Great
American Smokeout to foster community-based activities that
encourage
cigarette smokers to stop smoking for at least 24 hours. These
activities
include distributing materials to interested schools, hospitals,
businesses, and other organizations that discourage tobacco use;
encouraging retail businesses not to sell tobacco products and
restaurants
and other businesses to be smoke-free for the day; and providing
media
coverage of prominent local citizens who have pledged to stop
smoking for
the day.
During the Great American Smokeout in 1992, an estimated 3.3
million
(7.1%) smokers reported quitting, and 7.5 million (16.4%) reported
reducing
the number of cigarettes smoked on that day. Furthermore, an
estimated 1.5
million (3.3%) smokers reported quitting smoking for 3-5 days after
the
Smokeout (1). Approximately 9.7 million packs of cigarettes were
not
smoked; thus an estimated $17.8 million were not spent on
cigarettes (1-3).
This year, the Great American Smokeout will be on Thursday,
November
18. The overall goal of the Smokeout is to encourage cessation to
show
smokers that if they can quit for 24 hours, they can quit
permanently.
Information is available from local chapters of the ACS; for
telephone
numbers of these local chapters, telephone (800) 227-2345.
Reported by: American Cancer Society, Atlanta. Office on Smoking
and
Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, CDC.
References
Lieberman Research, Inc. A study of the impact of the 1992 Great
American Smokeout: summary, Gallup Organization. New York: American
Cancer
Society, 1992.
Cigarette smoking among adults -- United States, 1991. MMWR
1993;42:
230-3.
The Tobacco Institute. The tax burden on tobacco: historical
compilation
1992. Washington, DC: The Tobacco Institute, 1993.
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