Smoking

Home » Smoking » Facts

Smoking Facts and Statistics

Prevalence

• About 80% of smokers start before the age of 18.
• Every day nearly 4,000 12-17 year olds in the United States start smoking.
• About 22% of high school students in the United States smoke cigarettes.
• About 8% of middle school student in the United States smoke cigarettes.
• About 1 out of 5 people in the United States smoke cigarettes.

Effects

• The most common causes of death among smokers are cardiovascular (heart) diseases, tobacco-related cancers, and respiratory diseases.
• About 430,000 deaths per year are linked to cigarette smoking.
• More Americans are killed each year by cigarettes than by alcohol, car crashes, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.

Secondhand smoke effects

• Thirty minutes of secondhand smoke can impair the normal flow of blood to the heart in non-smokers.
• Secondhand smoke is responsible for about 3,000 lung cancer and tens of thousands of heart disease deaths per year in non-smokers.

• Levels of secondhand smoke in restaurants have been found to be 2-5 times greater than those in a home with smokers.
• Secondhand smoke causes between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory infections in children younger than 18 months and results in 7,000-15,000 hospitalizations each year.
• About 1,900-2,700 infants die of SIDS each year due to secondhand smoke.

Quitting facts

• Cigarette sales dropped by an average of 43% in 4 states where strong tobacco control programs were funded and maintained.
• Most successful ex-smokers have tried to quit an average of 7 times before they were successful.
• Withdrawal symptoms peak at 3 days and then begin to subside.
• Smokers who also suffer from depression have a harder time quitting than smokers who are not depressed.

Sources: All statistics from either the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, or the American Heart Association.

Smoking, Facts reprinted with permission from cardiologychannel.com
© 1998-2008 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Smoking Resources

	Join Our Smoking Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer