CDC report: National smoking rate dropped in 2012
A new report released by the CDC shows that the percent of American adults over 18 years old who consider themselves smokers has dropped to 18 percent. (June 18, 2013) Credit: AP
Fewer people lit up in 2012, with the national percentage of adults over 18 who smoke falling to 18 percent, down from 18.9 percent in 2011, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control.
The percentage of current smoking adults has seen a noticable decrease over 15 years, with 24.7 percent of adults counted as smokers in 1997.
The report also broke down the numbers by sex. In 2012, 20.4 percent of men described themselves as smokers, while 15.8 percent of women said they regularly lit up.
The number of current smokers was lowest among men and women 65 and over, while those in the 18-44 age bracket had the highest percentage of any age group at 20.3.
Still, more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides and murders combined, according to the CDC's website.
In an effort to combat these statistics, the CDC recently released the second part of a vast anti-smoking campaign that included a series of video tips from former smokers.
What do you think about the CDC's new data on smoking rates in America? Let us know in the comments field below.
'It's personal to me' The law would require businesses to have proper state licensing, prove that their employees are paid and ban staff from living at the spas or sleeping there overnight. Repeat offenders could face penalties up to $25,000. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.
'It's personal to me' The law would require businesses to have proper state licensing, prove that their employees are paid and ban staff from living at the spas or sleeping there overnight. Repeat offenders could face penalties up to $25,000. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.
