Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Great American Smokeout Scheduled For November 21

The American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout is designed to help change some facts about tobacco use in this country.

The Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 21.

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in this society. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the United States.

Based on data from the American Cancer Society's cancer prevention study II, it is estimated that smoking is related to about 419,000 U.S. deaths each year. Although the number of cardiovascular deaths is declining, smoking-related cancer deaths continues to rise:

• Smokers lose an average of 15 years of life.

• Smoking accounts for 30 percent of all cancer deaths.

  According to the World Health Organization, approximately three million people die worldwide each year as a result of smoking.

  In additilon to being responsible for 87 percent of lung cancers, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynix, larnyx, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney and bladder.

  The National Health Interview Study (NHIS) data show that cigarette smoking among adults aged 18 and over declined 40 percent between 1965 and 1990 -- from 42 percent to 25 percent. However:

• Between 1990 and 1993, overall smoking prevalence was virtually unchanged.

• Per capita consumption of cigarettes continues to decline. After peaking at 4,345 in 1963, consumption has fallen 41 percent to 2,576 in 1993.

• If they had to do it over, 81 percent of current smokers would not start smoking again.

• Seventy-five percent of current smokers say they are addicted to cigarettes.

Smoking prevalence is higher for men (28%) than for women (23%), and is highest among American Indians-Alaskan natives (39%) compared with other race-ethnic groups.

Smoking prevalence is highest among men who have dropped out of high school (42%).

Over 70 percent of adults who have smoked started smoking daily by age 18.

The 1993 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data show that:

• Nationwide, 70 percent of high school students have tried cigarette smoking.

• Fourteen percent of high school students are frequent smokers and white students are more likely than black or Hispanic students to smoke frequently.

• One-fourth of high school student have been regular cigarette smokers (smoked at least one cigarette every day for 30 days).