Boston.com, Estados Unidos. 7 de Septiuembre de 2011

Drop in US smoking has slowed, despite public health efforts

As heavy puffers ‘fell substantially,’ light smokers rose

By Deborah Kotz

Globe Staff / September 7, 2011

The decline in smoking in the United States has slowed dramatically over the past five years, according to a federal report released yesterday, despite national and state efforts to raise tobacco taxes, increase awareness of cigarettes’ health risks, and ban smoking in public places.

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The number of heavy smokers “fell substantially,’’ Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a media briefing, while the number of light smokers - those who smoke half a pack a day or less - increased.

In 2010, an estimated 19.3 percent of Americans smoked, down from 20.9 percent in 2005. The percentage of smokers who puffed on nine or fewer cigarettes a day rose to 21.8 percent in 2010 from 16.4 percent in 2005, while the percentage of heavy smokers - 30 or more cigarettes per day - fell from 12.7 percent to 8.3 percent.

Still, health officials emphasize that light smokers also face the health hazards of heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes.

“The latest research leaves us less impressed with the health benefits that people accrue from cutting down on smoking ,’’ said Dr. Tim McAfee , director of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. “We see much more dramatic benefits from people quitting altogether.’’

Massachusetts had a sharper drop in smoking rates - from 18.1 percent in 2005 to 14.1 percent in 2010 - as have most of the other New England states. Only 1 percent of Massachusetts residents smoked more than a pack a day last year, and the state’s overall smoking rate was the fifth-lowest in the country.

Smoke-free workplace laws enacted in Massachusetts seven years ago and a high cigarette tax, currently $2.51 per pack, may have contributed to the drop. These efforts, as well as support for those who wish to quit and education on smoking’s risks, help to drive down smoking rates, Friedan said.

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http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/09/07/drop_in_us_smoking_has_slowed_despite_public_health_efforts/