Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2006
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC)

Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, resulting in approximately 438,000 deaths annually. The prevalence of cigarette smoking remained relatively unchanged during the early 1990s but gradually decreased from 1997 (24.7%) to 2004 (20.9%) (Figure). This report indicates that the prevalence of current smoking among U.S. adults in 2006 (20.8%) was not significantly different from the prevalence in 2004 (20.9%), suggesting a stall in previous declines. This lack of a decrease in cigarette use during 2 years might be a result of several factors. Most notably, funding for comprehensive state programs for tobacco control and prevention decreased by 20.3% from 2002 to 2006, and tobacco-industry marketing expenditures nearly doubled from 1998 ($6.7 billion) to 2005 ($13.1 billion). In 2005, approximately 81% ($10.6 billion) of tobacco-industry marketing expenditures were related to discounting strategies (e.g., coupons, two-for-one offers, or promotional discounts for retailers or wholesalers) that reduce the impact of increases in the unit price of tobacco, which are effective in preventing initiation of smoking and increasing cessation.

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