Report: Over half of smokers tried quitting

More than half of American smokers tried to quit the habit as the daily use of cigarettes fell, U.S. health officials say.

About 19 percent of adults, or 43.8 million, reported smoking daily or most days in 2011, little changed from 19.3 percent a year earlier, according to data Thursday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's down from more than 20 percent in 2005. About 52 percent of those surveyed reported trying to stop smoking in the preceding year.

The number of cigarettes Americans are smoking each day has fallen. In 2011, 9.1 percent of daily smokers reported puffing on more than 30 cigarettes daily, a drop from 12.6 percent six year earlier.

Even so, the number of smokers is still too high, exceeding the 12 percent goal for American adults, the CDC said.

Those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes a day increased to 22 percent in 2011 from 16.4 percent six years earlier, the agency said. -- Bloomberg News