Tens of millions on the line
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Most Americans don’t use tobacco, and are healthier for it. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention checked the latest survey numbers, and it says a lot do – and put their lives on the line by doing it.
The CDC’s Brian King looked at survey data on tobacco use among adults:
“During 2012 to 2013, 21.3 percent of U.S. adults – or 50 million people – used a tobacco product every day or some days.”
The figure rises to 60 million when you include people who used tobacco rarely.
King says the findings underscore the need for interventions to prevent people from starting tobacco use and to help them quit if it’s too late for that.
The analysis is in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at BeTobaccoFree.Gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.