In 1995, an estimated 47 million U.S. adults smoked
cigarettes; in
1997, at least 4.5 million U.S. adolescents were cigarette smokers
(1,2).
Since 1977, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has sponsored the
Great
American Smokeout to promote community-based activities designed to
encourage smokers to refrain from smoking cigarettes for at least
24 hours.
In 1997, nearly 11.3 million smokers (approximately 24% of smokers)
reported participating in the Smokeout, and 19% of participants
reported
smoking less or not at all 1-5 days after the Smokeout (3). This
year, the
Great American Smokeout on Thursday, November 19, will focus on
preventing
the use of all tobacco products and encouraging children and
adolescents
never to start using tobacco.
As part of the Great American Smokeout, ACS volunteers will
conduct
smoking-prevention and smoking-cessation activities for persons of
all ages
at shopping malls, worksites, hospitals, military installations,
and other
locations. Activities will include the ACS Commit to Quit program,
which
helps smokers select a method of quitting that meets their personal
needs.
Additional information is available from ACS, telephone (800)
227-2345; CDC, telephone (800) 232-1311 or (770) 488-5705; or the
ACS Great
American Smokeout World-Wide Web site http://www.cancer.org.
Reported by: American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia. Office on
Smoking
and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health
Promotion, CDC.
References
CDC. Cigarette smoking among adults -- United States, 1995.
MMWR
1997;46:1217-20.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Preliminary
results from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
Rockville, Maryland: US Department of Health and Human
Services,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
1998.
Lieberman Research Inc. A study of public reactions to the 1997
Great
American Smokeout and American Cancer Society: a partnership
with
Nicoderm CQ and Nicorette gum. Atlanta, Georgia: American
Cancer
Society, 1997.
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