Smoking and Health: A National Status Report, Second Edition. A Report to Congress

摘要

During the past several years, our progress toward a smoke-free society has continued. Per capita cigarette consumption (18 years of age and older) decreased from 3,370 in 1985 to a preliminary estimate of 2,850 in 1989. Total cigarette consumption fell from 594.0 billion cigarettes in 1985 to 524.6 billion in 1989, despite growth in the size of the population. Data from the 1986 Adult Use of Tobacco Survey (reported here in detail) and the 1987 National Health Interview Survey (reported in other publications of the Public Health Service) show that the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults is now under 30 percent, an important milestone. Nevertheless, smoking remains the chief preventable cause of death in our society. More than 1,000 Americans die each day from diseases caused by smoking. The decline in smoking has been substantially slower among women than among men. Smoking rates are higher among minorities, blue- collar workers, and less educated persons than in the overall population. This report provides valuable State-specific information on the health and economic impact of smoking, legislative measures to control smoking, and smoking cessation and prevention programs. It is readily apparent that many States have made much more progress than others in reducing smoking and smoking-related disease.