According to new report from the Centres for Disease Centre and Prevention (CDC), a sharp drop has been seen in the number of adult smokers in United States. A new announcement from health officials reveal in last one decade about 20 percent decline have been seen.
A report issued by CDC says in 2014 the rate was all-time low and this year the figure has been seen further lowering.
CDC reports last year the decline in rate was 16.8 percent and in 2015 it is 20.9 percent.
The credit for such major decline is given to stricter laws in the United States related to smoking and also the increase in media campaigns about health hazards of the habit.
The CDC report further mentions decline in the rate of smoking has been mostly seen among the 18-24 age group and the reasons for this could be the availability of alternatives such as electronic cigarettes in recent years.
In the United States alone about half a million people die every year due to smoking related health hazards. The smoking habit costs the nation more than $300 billion a year in medical expenses.
Smoking has a devastating impact on the cardiovascular system and is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. It often leads to high blood pressure, which strains the heart muscle and increases the risk of heart failure and aneurysms. Furthermore, smokers tend to have poor cholesterol levels, with greater levels of “bad” cholesterol and lower levels of “good” cholesterol.
Smoking also poses well-documented dangers to the respiratory system, dramatically increasing the risk of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
The report of CDC is a part of an ongoing effort to track progress of the Healthy People 2020 objective. The aim of it is to lower the cigarette smoking rate to 12 percent or less of population across the nation by year 2020.
Meanwhile, a new proposal has come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to prohibit smoking in indoor common areas and apartments of public housing system of the country.
