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Introduction
Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. Quitting smoking dramatically reduces the risk of lung and other cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease. For example, 10 years after a person quits smoking, his or her risk of lung cancer is decreased to about one-third to one-half of that of a person who continues to smoke; with continued abstinence from smoking, the risk of lung cancer decreases even further.
Although quitting smoking is beneficial at any age, the earlier in life a person quits, the more likely it is that he or she will avoid the devastating health effects of continued tobacco use. Few smokers can quit successfully on their first attempt; most people will require several attempts before they are able to permanently quit. This emphasizes the need for smokers to begin trying to quit as early in life as possible.
Measure
Attempt to quit: The percentage of adult smokers aged 18 years and older who attempted smoking cessation within the past 12 months. The attempt-to-quit measure includes both current smokers who smoke every day or some days and who, at the time of the survey, had quit smoking for at least 1 day during the past 12 months, as well as recent former smokers, who quit smoking less than or equal to 1 year ago.
Successful quitting: The percentage of recent smoking cessation success for adult smokers (aged 18 years and older) includes recent former smokers who quit 6-12 months prior to the survey interview among those who met any of the three conditions:
- Former smokers who had quit smoking 6-12 months prior to the survey interview.
- Former smokers who had quit smoking less than 6 months prior to the survey interview.
- Current smokers at the time of the survey interview who initiated smoking at least 2 years prior to the survey interview.
Healthy People 2020 Target
- Increase to 80 percent the proportion of adult current smokers (aged 18 years and older) who stopped smoking for a day or longer because they were trying to quit.
- Increase to 8 percent the proportion of adult smokers (aged 18 years and older) who successfully quit smoking for at least 6 months in the past 12 months.
- Healthy People 2020 is developing two additional targets to promote smoking cessation using evidence-based strategies. These developmental targets include one to increase smoking cessation attempts by adult smokers using evidence-based strategies (TU-4.2) and one to increase recent smoking cessation success by adult smokers using evidence-based strategies (TU-5.2).
Healthy People 2020 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Note: Goals are indicated as blue line on Detailed Trend Graphs.
Data Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey 1998-2017.
Trends and Most Recent Estimates
Attempted to Quit Smoking
By Sex
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Both Sexes
|
54.1 | 52.1 - 56.1 |
Male
|
53.7 | 51.1 - 56.3 | |
Female
|
54.6 | 51.5 - 57.7 | |
By Race/Ethnicity
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
All Races
|
54.1 | 52.1 - 56.1 |
Non-Hispanic White
|
51.9 | 49.7 - 54.1 | |
Non-Hispanic Black
|
61.7 | 56.0 - 67.1 | |
Hispanic
|
59.0 | 52.3 - 65.4 | |
By Age
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Ages 18-24
|
68.3 | 58.7 - 76.5 |
Ages 25 and older
|
51.9 | 49.9 - 54.0 | |
By Sex and Age
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Males, Ages 18-24
|
69.8 | 59.1 - 78.8 |
Males, Ages 25+
|
51.4 | 48.7 - 54.0 | |
Females, Ages 18-24
|
66.4 | 49.1 - 80.1 | |
Females, Ages 25+
|
52.7 | 49.7 - 55.6 | |
By Poverty Income Level
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
<200% of federal poverty level
|
55.0 | 52.1 - 58.0 |
>=200% of federal poverty level
|
53.6 | 50.8 - 56.3 | |
By Education Level
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Less than High School
|
50.1 | 45.3 - 54.9 |
High School
|
48.8 | 45.5 - 52.1 | |
Greater than High School
|
54.9 | 52.0 - 57.7 | |
Successfully Quit Smoking
By Sex
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Both Sexes
|
8.3 | 7.1 - 9.7 |
Male
|
9.0 | 7.3 - 11.0 | |
Female
|
7.4 | 5.9 - 9.2 | |
By Race/Ethnicity
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
All Races
|
8.3 | 7.1 - 9.7 |
Non-Hispanic White
|
9.0 | 7.5 - 10.7 | |
Non-Hispanic Black
|
4.7 | 3.0 - 7.4 | |
Hispanic
|
6.6 | 4.0 - 10.9 | |
By Age
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Ages 18-24
|
18.9 | 11.1 - 30.3 |
Ages 25 and older
|
6.9 | 5.9 - 8.0 | |
By Sex and Age
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Males, Ages 18-24
|
26.9 | 16.0 - 41.6 |
Males, Ages 25+
|
6.9 | 5.6 - 8.5 | |
Females, Ages 18-24
|
8.8 | 4.3 - 17.2 | |
Females, Ages 25+
|
6.9 | 5.6 - 8.5 | |
By Poverty Income Level
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
<200% of federal poverty level
|
5.9 | 4.7 - 7.5 |
>=200% of federal poverty level
|
10.0 | 8.2 - 12.2 | |
By Education Level
| Overview Graph | Detailed Trend Graphs | Most Recent Estimates (2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of adult smokers | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
|
Less than High School
|
3.1 | 1.8 - 5.4 |
High School
|
6.3 | 4.8 - 8.2 | |
Greater than High School
|
8.5 | 7.1 - 10.2 | |
Evidence-based Resources
Evidence-based intervention programs are available on the Research-tested interventions (RTIPs) website that promote smoking cessation and provide guidance to quit.
Additional Information on Quitting Smoking
For the public
- Tobacco. National Cancer Institute.
- Tobacco and Cancer. American Cancer Society.
- Surgeon General’s Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Use. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Surgeon General.gov. 50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Tobacco Products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For smokers
- Cigarette Smoking: Health Risks and How to Quit (PDQ®)–Patient Version. National Cancer Institute.
- Smokefree.gov. National Cancer Institute.
- Tobacco. National Cancer Institute.
- How to Quit Smoking or Smokeless Tobacco. American Cancer Society.
- North American Quitline Consortium.
- Tips From Former Smokers-Media Campaign. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For health professionals
- Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs – 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Smoking & Tobacco Use – Quit Smoking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Tobacco Smoking Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Women: Behavioral and Pharmacotherapy Interventions. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Scientific reports
- Monograph 12: Population Based Smoking Cessation Proceedings of a Conference on What Works to Influence Cessation in the General Population. U.S. Public Health Service and the National Cancer Institute.
- Prevalence and determinants of cigarette smoking relapse among US adult smokers: a longitudinal study. Alboksmaty A, Agaku IT, Odani S, Filippidis FT. BMJ Open. 2019;9(11):e031676.
- A prospective cohort study challenging the effectiveness of population-based medical intervention for smoking cessation. Alpert HR, Connolly GN, Biener L. Tob Control. 2013 Jan;22(1):32-7.
- Incentives and Patches for Medicaid Smokers: An RCT. Anderson CM, Cummins SE, Kohatsu ND, et al. Am J Prev Med. 2018;55(6 Suppl 2):S138-S147.
- Egocentric social networks and smoking among adults with serious mental illness. Aschbrenner KA, Bobak C, Schneider EJ, et al. Transl Behav Med. 2018;8(4):531-539.
- Quitting smoking among adults – United States, 2000–2015. Babb S, Malarcher A, Schauer G, et al. MMWR 2017;65(52):1457–64.
- 2020 Surgeon General's Report - Smoking Cessation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Tobacco Product Use and Cessation Indicators Among Adults - United States, 2018. Creamer MR, Wang TW, Babb S, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(45):1013-1019.
- The differential impact of state tobacco control policies on cessation treatment utilization across established tobacco disparities groups. Dahne J, Wahlquist AE, Garrett-Mayer E, et al. Prev Med. 2017 Dec; 105:319-325.
- Smoking Cessation among Female and Male Veterans before and after a Randomized Trial of Proactive Outreach. Danan ER, Sherman SE, Clothier BA, et al. Womens Health Issues. 2019;29 Suppl 1:S15-S23.
- Randomized trial of reduced-nicotine standards for cigarettes. Donny EC, Denlinger RL, Tidey JW, et al. N Engl J Med 2015 Oct;373(14):1340-9.
- Effects of motivation phase intervention components on quit attempts in smokers unwilling to quit: A factorial experiment. Engle JL, Mermelstein R, Baker TB, et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019;197:149-157.
- Effects of Delay Discounting and Other Predictors on Smoking Relapse. González-Roz A, Secades-Villa R, Pericot-Valverde I, Weidberg S, Alonso-Pérez F. Span J Psychol. 2019;22:E9.
- Heterogeneity in past year cigarette smoking quit attempts among Latinos. Gundersen DA, Echeverria SE, Lewis MJ, Giovino GA, Ohman-Strickland P, Delnevo CD. J Environ Public Health 2012;2012:378165.
- Lung cancer incidence and the strength of municipal smoke-free ordinances. Hahn EJ, Rayens MK, Wiggins AT et al. Cancer 2017: 124(2): 374-380.
- Randomized trial of four financial-incentive programs for smoking cessation. Halpern SD, French B, Small DS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2015 May 28;372(22):2108-17.
- Smoking cessation behaviors among older U.S. adults. Henley SJ, Asman K, Momin B, et al. Prev Med Rep. 2019;16:100978.
- Physicians' Recommendations to Medicaid Patients About Tobacco Cessation. Holla N, Brantley E, Ku L. Am J Prev Med. 2018;55(6):762-769.
- Dispelling myths about gender differences in smoking cessation: population data from the USA, Canada and Britain. Jarvis MJ, Cohen JE, Delnevo CD, Giovino GA. Tob Control 2013 Sep;22(5):356-60.
- Smoking-related health beliefs and smoking behavior in the National Lung Screening Trial. Kaufman AR, Dwyer LA, Land SR, et al. Addict Behav. 2018 Sep; 84:27-32.
- Factor structure and stability of smoking-related health beliefs in the National Lung Screening Trial. Kaufman AR, Koblitz AR, Persoskie A, et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2016 Mar;18(3):321-9.
- The relationship of e-cigarette use to cigarette quit attempts and cessation: Insights from a large, nationally representative U.S. survey. Levy D, Yuan Z, Luo Y, et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2018 Jul;20(8):931-939.
- Working memory-related neural activity predicts future smoking relapse. Loughead J, Wileyto EP, Ruparel K, et al. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015 May;40(6):1311-20.
- Tobacco and cannabis co-use: Drug substitution, quit interest, and cessation preferences. McClure EA, Tomko RL, Salazar CA, et al. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2019;27(3):265-275.
- Perceptions of cigarette pack inserts promoting cessation and dissuasive cigarettes among young adult smokers in the UK: a cross-sectional online survey. Moodie CS, Hiscock R, Thrasher J, Reid G. BMJ Open. 2018;8(9):e019662.
- The moderating effect of perceived social support on the relation between heaviness of smoking and quit attempts among adult homeless smokers. Neisler J, Reitzel LR, Garey L, et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018;190:128-132.
- Integrated Treatment for Smoking Cessation, Anxiety, and Depressed Mood in People Living With HIV: A Randomized Controlled Trial. OʼCleirigh C, Zvolensky MJ, Smits JAJ, et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018;79(2):261-268.
- Home matters: work and household predictors of smoking and cessation among blue-collar workers. Okechukwu CA, Dutra LM, Bacic J, El Ayadi A, Emmons KM. Prev Med 2013 Feb;56(2):130-4.
- Exercise to Enhance Smoking Cessation: the Getting Physical on Cigarette Randomized Control Trial. Prapavessis H, De Jesus S, Fitzgeorge L, et al. Ann Behav Med. 2016 Jun;50(3):358-69.
- Twitter = quitter? An analysis of Twitter quit smoking social networks. Prochaska JJ, Pechmann C, Kim R, et al. Tob Control. 2012 Jul;21(4):447-9.
- Are quit attempts among U.S. female nurses who smoke different from female smokers in the general population? An analysis of the 2006/2007 tobacco use supplement to the current population survey. Sarna L, Bialous SA, Nandy K, Yang Q. BMC Womens Health 2012;12:4.
- Level of cigarette consumption and duration of smoking abstinence during failed quit attempts among long-term daily smokers: the role of race/ethnicity and cessation aids. Soulakova J, Crockett L. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2018 Apr;5(2):293-303.
- Motivational benefits of social support and behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. Soulakova J, Tang C, Leonardo S, et al. J Smok Cessat. 2018 Jan: 1-11.
- Smoking Cessation After Hospital Discharge: Factors Associated With Abstinence. Streck JM, Chang Y, Tindle HA, et al. J Hosp Med. 2018;13(11):774-778.
- Efficacy of smoking-cessation interventions for young adults: a meta-analysis. Suls JM, Luger TM, Curry SJ, Mermelstein RJ, Sporer AK, An LC. Am J Prev Med. 2012;42(6):655–62.
- Income disparities in smoking cessation and the diffusion of smoke-free homes among U.S. smokers: Results from two longitudinal surveys. Vijayaraghavan M, Benmarhnia T, Pierce JP, et al. PLoS One. 2018;13(7):e0201467.
- Associations between marijuana use and tobacco cessation outcomes in young adults. Vogel EA, Rubinstein ML, Prochaska JJ, Ramo DE. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2018;94:69-73.
- State-Specific Prevalence of Quit Attempts Among Adult Cigarette Smokers - United States, 2011- 2017. Walton K, Wang TW, Schauer GL, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(28):621-626.
- State-Specific Cessation Behaviors Among Adult Cigarette Smokers - United States, 2014-2015. Wang TW, Walton K, Jamal A, et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2019;16:E26.
- Tobacco Use and Cessation Behaviors in Young Adults: 2016 National Health Interview Survey. West JC, Villanti AC, Graham AL, et al. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(2):296-299.
- Interventions to increase smoking cessation at the population level: how much progress has been made in the last two decades? Zhu SH, Lee M, Zhuang YL, Gamst A, Wolfson T. Tobacco Control 2012; 21(2):110-118.
- E-cigarette use and associated changes in population smoking cessation: evidence from US current population survey. Zhu SH, Zhuang YL, Wong S, et al. BMJ. 2017 Jul; 358:j3262.
- Comparison of smoking cessation between education groups: findings from 2 US National Surveys over 2 decades. Zhuang YL, Gamst AC, Cummins SE, et al. Am J Public Health. 2015 Feb;105(2):373-9.
Statistics
- The Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. National Cancer Institute.
- The National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplements. National Center for Health Statistics, co-sponsored by the National Cancer institute/DCCPS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/OSH and DCPC.
Year Range
1998-2018
Recent Summary Trend Year Range
2014-2018
Summary Tables
Clinicians' Advice to Quit Smoking
Recent Summary Trend
Rising
Desired Direction
Rising