Smoking rates in the US have fallen to record lows.

VHO - According to recently released US government survey data, the smoking rate among adults in the US fell to a new record low last year, with only about 1 in 11 adults reporting that they smoke.

E-cigarette products contain up to 127 types of extremely toxic chemicals, 153 of which are dangerous to health, and 225 of which cause irritation.

This figure reflects a significant step forward in efforts to control tobacco use in a country with a large population and once considered one of the world's highest tobacco consumption markets.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the preliminary findings are based on a survey of more than 24,200 adults nationwide.

In this survey, the CDC defines current smokers as individuals who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and continue to smoke daily or at certain times of the week.

The results show that the percentage of adult smokers in the US fell to 9% last year, continuing a long-term downward trend and marking a significant milestone as 2024 is the first time this rate will fall below 10%.

Compared to the mid-1960s, when approximately 42% of American adults smoked, the current decline is considered one of the most significant changes in public health behavior in the country's modern history.

Public health experts believe this dramatic decline is the result of a combination of factors spanning decades. These include increased tobacco taxes, bans on smoking in public spaces, large-scale public education campaigns, and a noticeable shift in societal awareness of the harms of smoking in public.

Gradually, smoking is no longer considered a "normalized" behavior in American society as it once was.

Despite significant progress, smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of death, with direct risks associated with lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

Therefore, maintaining the downward trend remains a top priority in U.S. public health policy.

Besides traditional cigarettes, the report also noted a slight increase in e-cigarette use among adults. However, this rate is expected to remain relatively stable at around 7% by 2025, suggesting that this market has not yet experienced the same significant fluctuations as the decline in traditional cigarette sales.

In this context, experts consider the continued decline in smoking rates a significant public health achievement, contributing to saving millions of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare costs.

Yolonda Richardson, President and CEO of the Campaign for Smoke-Free Kids, emphasized that the results achieved are clear evidence of the effectiveness of tobacco control policies over the past decades.

However, Richardson also expressed concern about the current challenges in tobacco control efforts, as several programs have seen budget cuts in recent years, including the dissolution of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health and the scaling back of community outreach campaigns such as "Tips from Former Smokers."

This campaign was once considered to have had a major impact on changing smoking behavior in the United States.

According to estimates cited by Richardson, the "Tips" campaign alone helped more than 1 million Americans quit smoking and saved over $7.3 billion in healthcare costs.

These figures highlight the crucial role of health communication in supporting the reduction of smoking rates at the national level.

Richardson also emphasized that maintaining and restoring tobacco control programs is essential to continue reducing the burden of disease, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with tobacco across the United States.

With smoking rates having fallen to historically low levels, experts believe the current challenge lies not only in further reducing them, but also in preventing the resurgence of smoking behaviors through e-cigarettes and new nicotine products.

Despite significant progress, the overall picture shows that the war against tobacco in the US is far from over, but is entering a new phase where public health policies need to adapt to changes in consumer behavior and the modern nicotine product market.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/doi-song/ty-le-hut-thuoc-tai-my-xuong-muc-thap-ky-luc-233453.html