Smoking and Asian American People: Facts, Rico's Story and Help to Quit

From CDC's Tips From Former Smokers® campaign.

Know the facts

Smoking raises the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke — among the leading causes of death for Asian American people.

• About 1 in 20 (5.4%) non-Hispanic Asian adults smoke cigarettes.
• Among Asian American adults, smoking is more common in men than women.

Several factors tie commercial tobacco to more disease, disability and death in some groups — see CDC's page on health disparities affecting Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people, and how many people smoke today.

Rico's story

Rico F., 48, of California, started smoking at 14. Diagnosed with cancer at 45, he was determined to quit so he could enjoy a healthy life with his family. Now a cancer survivor, he shares his story to help others quit, and feels blessed to be alive to watch his children finish college. He believes it's never too late to quit.

"As a former smoker, I know how hard it is to quit. Addiction is a very difficult battle to win, but it can be done!"

Rico's story is also in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. More in the campaign's Real Stories.

Quit guides in Asian languages

Free help to quit

Medicines: the FDA has approved 7 quit-smoking medicines; your insurance may offer them free or at reduced cost.

Sources

Based on "Asian American People," Tips From Former Smokers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. Its figures come from "Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2021" and "Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2016," MMWR. The page's portrait and banner are not reproduced.