Current Cigarette Smoking among US Adults

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that the burden of death and disease from tobacco use in the United States is overwhelmingly caused by cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products. Cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. adults, and about 480,000 deaths per year are caused by cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.

What is added by this report?

The proportion of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes declined from 20.9% in 2005 (45.1 million smokers) to 15.5% in 2016 (37.8 million smokers), but cigarette smoking prevalence did not change significantly during 2015–2016. Sociodemographic disparities in cigarette smoking persist. During 2005–2016, increases occurred in the proportion of adult ever smokers who quit smoking (50.8% to 59.0%).

What are the implications for public health practice?

Proven population-based interventions, including tobacco price increases, comprehensive smoke-free laws, high-impact anti-tobacco media campaigns, and barrier-free access to tobacco cessation counseling and medications, are critical to reducing cigarette smoking and smoking-related disease and death among U.S. adults, particularly among subpopulations with the highest smoking prevalence.