Deaths due to cigarette smoking have declined since the 1960s thanks to a parallel decline in smoking rates. When the Surgeon General first reported that smoking may be hazardous to your health in 1964, about 42 percent of American adults smoked. The most recent data available show that this rate has now dropped below twenty percent (19.8%) for the first time on record. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs report shows that overall death rates from smoking declined in all but one state (Oklahoma) between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004. Below is a list of the states with the lowest rates of smoking-related deaths, followed in parentheses by the smoking-attributable death rate per 100,000 residents and the percent change in that death rate between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004.

The top 10 states with the lowest rates of smoking-related deaths for 2000-2004 are:

1. Utah (138.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, -11.0% change)
2. Hawaii (167.6, -28.0%)
3. Minnesota (215.1, -14.4%)
4. North Dakota (225.6, -10.9%)
5. New Mexico (234, -21.1%)
6. California (235, -37.8%)
7. Nebraska (235.8, -25.9%)
8. Idaho (237.4, -21.5%)
9. Colorado (237.6, -24.3%)
10. Connecticut (238.3, -18.4%)

To find out more about lung diseases related to smoking, visit the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases. Find help and support to quit smoking at the Healia Health Community for Smoking.

_{Source: Adhikari B et al "State-specific smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost-United States 2000-2004" MMWR 2009; 58:29-33. http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5802a2.htm}

Photo: Paraflyer, Flickr, Creative Commons

Smoking rates—and smoking-related deaths—have declined pretty steadily in the United States since a 1964 Surgeon General’s report that suggested smoking may be hazardous to your health. At that time, around 42 percent of American adults smoked. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that for the first time on record, the smoking rate among U.S. adults has dropped below twenty percent (19.8%). In the CDC's Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs report, the agency reports that overall deaths rates from smoking declined in all but one state between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004. However, the smoking death rate actually increased for women in several states, and many states still have relatively high rates of smoking-related deaths. Below is a list of the states with the highest rates, followed in parenthesis by the smoking-attributable death rate per 100,000 residents and the percent change in that death rate between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004.

The top 10 states with the highest rates of smoking-related deaths for 2000-2004 are:

1. Kentucky (370.6 deaths per 100,000 residents, -13.3% change)
2. West Virginia (344.3, -21.5%)
3. Nevada (343.7, -44.4%)
4. Mississippi (333.6, -9.4%)
5. Oklahoma (332.1 +26.9%)
6. Tennessee (325, -12.4%)
7. Arkansas (323.7, -9.8%)
8. Alabama (317.5 -5.9%)
9. Indiana (308.9, -14.4%)
10. Missouri (307.8, -27.3%)

To find out more about lung diseases related to smoking, visit the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases. Find help and support to quit smoking at the Healia Health Community for Smoking.

_{Source: Adhikari B et al "State-specific smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost-United States 2000-2004" MMWR 2009; 58:29-33. http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5802a2.htm}

_{Photo: Saudi..., Flickr, Creative Commons}

The number one New Year’s resolution in America is to quit smoking and stay quit for the long term. Unfortunately, many people end up making this resolution year after year without success. The following are tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can help you quit smoking successfully and for the long term. If you take them to heart, next year you may be resolving to clean out the garage or give more to charity – and you will be a lot healthier doing it.

1. Set a quit date. Many smokers say they would like to quit smoking, but never seem to get around to doing it. There always seems to be some impending stressful situation that makes people put it off. The best way to quit is to set a concrete date and stick to it.


2. Write down why you want to quit. For example, many people quit to improve their health, protect their family from secondhand smoke, increase their activity level, or to take more control over their life. Write down ALL the reasons that apply to you so you will have a list to consult during times when you are craving a cigarette. Motivation is critical to quitting successfully: the people most likely to quit for good are smokers who survive a heart attack.


3. Know that quitting is hard. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and stopping its use can lead to symptoms of withdrawal that include irritability and intense cravings. No matter how you choose to quit, it will be hard, but if you prepare yourself for this fact, you will be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time—whatever you need to succeed.


4. Avoid triggers. Researchers are finding that a lot of the issues people have with addiction involve behavioral aspects: what you do, where you go, who you are with. For example, say you go outside with co-workers every day at noon to smoke. If you are trying to quit, it is best to avoid such situations that may trigger you to smoke, even though you may not want to miss out on the experience. Do not let people smoke in your home. Avoid going to places you used to go to smoke such as bars, at least until you have gone a month or so without smoking. You should also get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work. Avoid alcohol, especially excessive amounts as this can be a major smoking trigger.


5. Don’t “cut down.” Smoking any number or kind of cigarettes can hurt your health. Attempting to smoke fewer cigarettes without quitting completely rarely results in permanent changes; eventually, you will return to and exceed the amount you used to smoke. Smoking “light” or "low tar" is also ineffective because you will just smoke more cigarettes or puff harder, longer, and more often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.


6. Be in the right half. Half of all adult smokers have quit: that means you can do it too. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.


7. Seek support if you need it. Many groups offer support in the form of written materials, programs, and advice to help smokers quit for good. There are also support groups composed of people who are trying to quit and social networks such as the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking where you can find tips and share stories. Ask family, friends, and people you work with for their support while you quit.


8. Take medicine. Especially if you have tried to quit and failed several times in the past, you should consider taking medication to help you quit. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care worker about the available medicines. You can buy nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, or the nicotine lozenge at a drug store. Prescription medications include nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhalers, and the pills Bupropion SR (Zyban) and Varenicline (Chantix). Most health insurance will pay for these medicines, but even if you have to pay for them yourself, the savings you will gain by not buying cigarettes will more than offset the cost.


9. Stay quit. After you quit, don't smoke – not even one puff every now and then. Don't use other types of tobacco such as snuff or chewing tobacco either. If you do "slip up" and smoke, don't give up. This is a common mistake that people make, thinking that have one cigarette or one pack means they have failed and then they slip right back into their old ways. Instead, continue on with your attempt to quit. Many people find it easier to quit once they have relapsed and gotten past it.


10. Keep a positive attitude. You can do it!

For help quitting, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669) to be connected to the free quitline in your State. To connect with others making the journey to better health, join the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking.


_{Sources: CDC Quit Tips,Feb 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/quit_tips/index.htm; Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users. Consumer Guide, May 2008. U.S. Public Health Service. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/tobacco/helpsmokers.htm.}

_{Photo: Qfamily, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Thursday, November 20, 2008 is the 33rd American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout, inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day. In the past year, 39.8 percent of the 43.4 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day, and the Great American Smokeout remains a great way to encourage people to make a long-term plan to quit for good.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 443,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases.

With all the resources available to help smokers quit, there has never been a better time to quit smoking, and organizations like the American Cancer Society (ACS) can help. The ACS Quitline allows people who plan to quit to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling. Callers to the Quitline can be also connected with smoking cessation resources in their communities, social support groups, Internet resources, and medication assistance referrals.

The ACS also offers other free resources at www.cancer.org/GreatAmericans that can increase a smoker’s chances of quitting successfully, including tips and tools for friends, family, and coworkers of potential quitters to help them be supportive of the struggle to quit smoking. Several studies demonstrate the importance of social support in quitting smoking, which can double the likelihood that a person will successfully kick the habit. Online social networks are also becoming support channels for people who want to quit.

The majority of U.S. communities are now covered by smoke-free laws, while forty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have raised tobacco taxes since 2000. Smokers nationwide now face an average cost of $4.32 for one pack of cigarettes, not including all taxes. With today’s troubled economy, what better time could there be than today to quit smoking forever?

If someone you love is a smoker, encourage them to quit today; you can even find some creative way to reward their healthy decision. If you are smoker, get personal support in your effort to become smoke free by joining the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking.

Adapted from American Cancer Society release

Call the ACS Quitline at 1-800-227-2345 or find other stop smoking resources at www.cancer.org/GreatAmericans.\

_{Photo: sergis blog, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Despite recent laws limiting tobacco smoke exposure, millions of people are still exposed to polluted air from smokers in the workplace, public places, or in their home. One way we can be environmentally friendly and health conscious on this Earth Day is to keep our air clean and free of secondhand smoke.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed that exposure to secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer in adults who do not smoke. They estimate that exposure to secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year in nonsmokers.

• Increase in the number of asthma attacks in children.
• Increase in the severity of asthma symptoms in children.
• Increase in the risk of heart disease.
• Increase in respiratory tract infections in children under 18 months of age.

Were you one of the many smokers that kicked the smoking habit last Thursday during the Great American Smokeout? November 15, 2007 was this year’s Great American Smokeout day, an annual event held since the 1970s that challenges people to stop using tobacco. The event helps raise awareness about the various ways to stop cigarette smoking.

Tobacco use accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths in the United States (Cancer Facts and Figures 2007). Smoking also damages nearly every organ in the human body and is linked to at least 15 different cancers.

Changing a long-standing health behavior is very difficult but the health benefits of stopping smoking are tremendous. How does quitting smoking improve your health? The American Cancer Society states that when smokers’ quit, the following health benefits can occur:

• 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
• 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.