Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States Efforts to get smokers to quit and to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke are a mixed success, the U.S. Surgeon General says He slammed Big Tobacco for marketing in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, noting high rates of tobacco-related illness there WEDNESDAY, Nov.
20, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Although the United States has made significant headway in curbing cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, a new report finds deep divisions remain and they run along predictable fault lines. Disparities in tobacco use continue to persist by income and occupation, geography, education, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender and mental health status, the new data from the U.S.
surgeon general found. Nearly 1 in 5 deaths nationwide -- almost 500,000 a year -- are still due to cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. "Tobacco use continues to decline.
Americans increasingly understand tobacco products are dangerous and addictive, and many are taking advantage of available tools to help them quit. That's great news," Xavier Becerra , who heads up the U.S.
Department of Human Health and Services, said in an agency news release. However, he added,"smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. That's unacceptable.
" The new report builds on one issued in 1998, summarizing new research on contributors to tobacco-related disparities. Since 1965, smoking h.
