ATLANTA-- In a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, cigarette smoking among U.S. adults older than 18 fell from 20.9% in 2005 to 15.1% in 2015, or a drop of 5.8 percentage points, with several demographics named as having a higher prevalence of smoking.
The percentages translate into 45.1 million adults actively smoking in 2005 vs. 36.5 million in 2015 or 8.6 million fewer smokers, the Atlanta-based CDC said.
Among those interviewed in the 2015 study, the prevalence of cigarette smoking was higher among adults who were male; were 25- to 44-years-old; were American Indian or Alaska Native; had a General Education Development certificate (GED); lived below the federal poverty level; lived in the Midwest; were insured through Medicaid or were uninsured; had a disability or some type of limitation; were lesbian, gay or bisexual; or had serious psychological distress, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
In addition to smokers overall, the proportion of daily smokers declined from 16.9% to 11.4%, a drop of 5.5 percentage points.
In its report, the CDC also advocated the continued use of certain strategies it called “proven, population-based interventions” to further promote declines in smoking rates. These tactics included tobacco-price increases, smoke-free laws, anti-tobacco mass-media campaigns, and access to tobacco-cessation counseling and medications.
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