Great American Smokeout — November 15, 2012

Great American Smokeout — November 15, 2012

Weekly

November 9, 2012 / 61(44);889-889

The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is an annual event that encourages smokers to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking on that day in an effort to stop permanently (1). The 37th annual Great American Smokeout will be held on November 15, 2012.
In 2010, nearly two out of three adult smokers wanted to quit smoking, and approximately half had made a quit attempt for >1 day in the preceding year (2). However, in 2011, an estimated 19.0% (43.8 million) of U.S. adults still smoke (3).
Quitting smoking has immediate benefits to health at any age, including reduced risk for heart disease and certain cancers. Getting help through counseling or medications can double or triple the chances for quitting (4). Additional information and support for quitting is available online (http://www.smokefree.gov) or by telephone (800-QUIT-NOW [800-784-8669]). In addition, real stories of persons who have quit successfully can be found on CDC's Tips from Former Smokers website at http://www.cdc.gov/tips.

References

1. American Cancer Society. Great American Smokeout. Available at http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society; 2012. Accessed October 30, 2012.
2. CDC. Quitting smoking among adults—United States, 2001–2010. MMWR 2011;60:1513–9.
3. CDC. Current cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2011. MMWR 2012;61:889–94.
4. Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. Clinical practice guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; 2008. Available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/treating_tobacco_use08.pdf . Accessed October 30, 2012.