Noticias

Noticias

  • Título: Cigarette smoking rates among adults at an all-time low in the United States, but total triumph remains elusive
  • Fecha: 17-12-2014

  • Frank J Criado, MD, FACS, FSVM The Nov. 28 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR 2014;63:1108-12) documents that the rate of cigarette smoking among adults in the United States dropped from 20.9% in 2005 to 17.8% in 2013 - the lowest it has been since the CDC began recording such data in 1965. Impressive also is the decreased percentage of daily smokers who went through 20-29 cigarettes per day dropping from 34.9% in 2005 to 29.3% in 2013. Conversely, the rate of daily smokers who consumed 10 or fewer cigarettes per day increased from 16.4% in 2005 to 23.3% in 2013. Brian King, Ph.D., a senior scientific advisor for the CDC, said in a related statement, “Though smokers are smoking fewer cigarettes, cutting back by a few cigarettes a day rather than quitting completely does not produce significant health benefits.” “Smokers who quit before they’re 40 years old can get back almost all of the 10 years of life expectancy smoking takes away.”

    But amid the plethora of good news there was also the realization that certain demographic groups continue to struggle. A total of 42.1 million adults remained smokers in 2013. Smoking rates remain especially high among males, younger individuals, those who are multiracial or American Indian/Alaska Native, have less education, live below the federal poverty level, live in the South or Midwest, have a disability or other limitation, and those who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Clearly much more work lies ahead.

    Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, claiming over 480,000 lives annually. Its impact can also be felt economically, with cigarette smoking costing at least $133 billion in direct health care for adults and more than $156 billion in lost productivity. And its impact is even greater and worse in much of the rest of the world.



  • Fuente: endovascular.es