Tobacco use causes more disease and death in the U.S. than any other modifiable risk factor. An estimated 435,000 Americans will die this year either from smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke or maternal smoke during pregnancy; about 8.6 million Americans will suffer from at least one illness caused by tobacco. FACTS
- 45.3 million adults in the U.S. smoked cigarettes in 2006.
- 8% of middle school students reported smoking in 2005, as did 23% of high school students1. 13.9% of male high school students reported using smokeless tobacco.2
- Higher smoking prevalence in adults is associated with being male, having fewer years of education, living below the poverty level, and being 18 to 44 years of age.
- Smoking in the U.S. has been in decline for four decades. However, recent surveys suggest that this decline has stalled.3
- The costs of smoking-related illness amount to more than $167 billion every year in the U.S.4
NEWS
- July 27, 2009 Arkansas Tobacco Program, Ethanol Industry's Use of Antibiotics Named "Best, Worst Prevention Ideas of the Week." Read more.
- July 20, 2009 Smoke-free military recommendation, zoning out of DC needle exchanges named "Best, Worst Prevention Ideas of the Week." Read more.
- July 1, 2009 FDA tobacco law, late HIV/AIDS testing named "Best, Worst Prevention Ideas of the Week." Read more.
- June 12, 2009 Congress Sends FDA Tobacco Bill to President. Read more.
- June 11, 2009 Partnership Praises Senate Approval of FDA Bill. Read more.
- Tobacco News Archive
ACTTION
RESOURCES
Partnership Policies and Publications
Government Information and Publications
- Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update - This clinical practice guideline was developed by the U.S. Public Health Service. This updated guide discusses new counseling and medication treatments that have proven effective.
- Healthcare Provider Reminder Systems, Provider Education, and Patient Education: Working with Healthcare Delivery Systems to Improve the Delivery of Tobacco-Use Treatment to Patients—An Action Guide (2008) - This guide was developed in partnership with the CDC to act as a tool and guide healthcare professionals on the delivery of systems to improve rates of tobacco-use treatment
- MMWR on Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Dependence Treatments - Despite high smoking prevalence (35 percent) among recipients, high economic burden, and the availability of evidence-based and cost-effective treatments, eight state Medicaid programs did not cover any tobacco-dependence treatments, and only one program (Oregon) covered all recommended treatments in 2006. Providing full Medicaid coverage for all recommended tobacco dependence treatments, eliminating barriers to the use of these treatments, promoting treatment use, and educating Medicaid recipients and providers about coverage are critical to reducing tobacco use among this increased-risk population.
- Testimony for the Interim Health and Welfare Committee of the Kentucky General Assembly, November 15, 2006. Delivered by Dr. Steven H. Woolf - On behalf of Partnership for Prevention’s National Commission on Prevention Priorities, Dr. Woolf argues that tobacco cessation counseling is more important than anything else doctors do and is a benchmark of health care system quality.
Worksite Policies and Programs
Other Resources
| Sources | | | | | | 1. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Cigarette Smoking Among Adults -- United States, 2006" MMWR 56(44); 1157-1161. | | 2. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance -- United States. CDC Surveillance Summaries 2005;55(SS05): 1-108. | | 3. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Cigarette Smoking Among Adults -- United States, 2006" MMWR 56(44); 1157-1161. | | 4. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Economic Costs -- United States, 1997-2001. MMWR 2005;54:625-8. | |
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