Smoking Statistics In The USA


by Maxine Casey - Date: 2007-04-30 - Word Count: 400 Share This!

Practically everyone has smoked at least 1 cigarette in their lives - usually during that rebellious teenager phase - but an estimated 20.9% of the population continue to smoke into adulthood. This equates to 45.1 million people per year of which 1 in 5 then go on to die from the effects of smoking. That's a staggering 438,000 people every year! Smoking causes more deaths per year than deaths by car crashes, HIV, drug use, alcohol, suicides and murders combined.

There are many health issues arising from smoking - whether you die from them or not - they can have a serious impact on your quality of life. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop it than non-smokers. A smoker's risk of stroke is double that of a non-smoker and they are 10 times more likely to develop peripheral vascular disease.

Women seem to suffer worst from the dangerous effects of smoking. Smoking is the cause of 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and nearly 80% in men even though 23.9% of men smoke as opposed to 18.1% of women. Since 1950, lung cancer deaths among women have increased by 600% overtaking breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

In addition, 12% of pregnant women are smokers with 70% of them continuing to smoke throughout their pregnancy. This can cause untold problems including stillbirth, low birth weight and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Postmenopausal women who have smoked in their lifetime are also at higher risk of osteoporosis and a lower bone density than women who have never smoked.

More smokers tend to give up after the age of 45 with the over 65's having the lowest percentage of smokers overall at 8.6%. This is probably due to the health problems experienced by smokers, as they get older. By contrast, more young people are taking up smoking with 24.4% of them smoking on a regular basis. Generally, adults who smoke shorten their lives by around 14 years.

Based on current smoking patterns, smoking related illnesses will kill an estimated 25 million Americans who are alive today and that includes 5 million children under 18. That is an absolutely staggering statistic, especially when you realise that all those deaths are PREVENTABLE. People choose to smoke and, in doing so, are putting their lives at risk. Don't become a statistic - quit smoking today.


Related Tags: quit smoking, smoking, quit smoking products

Don't become a statistic - quit smoking now! For a review of the top 3 Quit Smoking programs go to

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