Great American Smokeout — November 15, 2018

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The American Cancer Society’s 43rd annual Great American Smokeout will be held on November 15, 2018. The Great American Smokeout is an annual event that encourages smokers to make a plan to quit smoking (https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/great-american-smokeout.html).

A report in this issue of MMWR (1) indicates that in 2017, 14.0% of U.S. adults were current cigarette smokers, the lowest prevalence recorded since monitoring began in 1965. Nonetheless, smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States (2). Each year, an estimated 480,000 U.S. adults die from cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure (2).

Smokers can and do quit smoking: former smokers now outnumber current smokers (2). Among current U.S. adult smokers, nearly two out of three want to quit smoking, and approximately half made a quit attempt in the preceding year (2). Getting effective help through counseling and use of medications can increase the chances of quitting by as much as threefold (3).

Information and support for quitting smoking is available at 800-QUIT-NOW (800–784–8669). CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign offers additional resources (https://www.cdc.gov/tips).

References

• Wang TW, Asman K, Gentzke AS, et al. Tobacco product use among adults—United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1225–32.
• US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking—50 years of progress: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2014.
• Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. Clinical practice guideline. Respir Care 2008;53:1217–22. PubMed

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