Nearly 25% of U.S. Adults Smoke; Most Want to Quit

The government has conceded that the nation will not meet its goal to cut adult smoking to 15% by 2000, declaring that one of every four adults smoked in 1995. But most want to quit.

A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an estimated 24.7% of the nation’s adults, or 47 million people, were smokers in 1995, only slightly less than the 24.8% in 1994. The numbers haven’t changed much since 1990.

Among the smokers, 24.5 million were men and 22.4 million were women. Smoking levels were higher among people who had not graduated from high school and among those living below the poverty level, the CDC said.

Yet, 70% of those adult smokers said they wanted to kick the habit, and almost half tried for at least one day.

“While we are stuck at 25%, we continue to have the vast majority of smokers wanting to quit,” said Michael Eriksen, director of the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health. “If we could make that wish a reality, we could have the single greatest effect on human health.”

One thing that would help is if health plans offered counseling and nicotine treatment programs by 2000, the CDC said.

About two-thirds of 105 health maintenance organizations surveyed in 1995 offered some coverage of programs or products that help smokers quit. But each plan had restrictions.

As of March, only five state Medicaid programs provided reimbursement for counseling or classes to help people quit smoking.

Richard Koorsh of the Health Care Assn. of America said managed-care plans are offering more and more such services, but what’s included in each plan is primarily up to employers that offer them.

Smokers who quit halve their risk of heart disease after a year, the CDC said. After a decade, their risk of lung cancer is half that of continuing smokers, and after five to 15 years, their risk of stroke is the same as nonsmokers.