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New Surgeon General's Report on Smoking Cessation

New Jersey

The following information is sponsored by the CDC:

The U.S. Surgeon General, released a new report, "Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General."

The report highlights the latest scientific evidence on the health benefits of quitting smoking, as well proven treatments and strategies to help people successfully quit smoking.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. Although the percentage of adults who smoke is at an all-time low in the U.S., 34 million adults still smoke and continue to be at risk of developing smoking-related diseases.

This report makes it clear that one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health is to quit smoking.

Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General - Full Report

The report shows that quitting smoking reduces the risk of premature death, improves health, and can add as much as 10 years to life expectancy.

Quitting smoking also lowers the risk for many adverse health effects, including poor reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, COPD, and 12 types of cancer.

While quitting smoking earlier in life yields the greatest health benefits, quitting at any age is beneficial.

Quitting smoking is also beneficial for people who have already been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or COPD. In addition to its health benefits, quitting smoking also reduce the significant financial burden that smoking places on people who smoke healthcare systems and society as a whole.

The report also highlights the array of proven clinical treatments and tools available to increase the chances of successfully quitting, including counseling and cessation medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

While counseling and FDA-approved medication are each effective alone, using them together—for example, receiving counseling by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW and using nicotine replacement therapy—can more than double one’s chances of successfully quitting.

The report also highlights important interventions that increase access to treatments and resources for quitting.

These include health system changes that make it easier for healthcare professionals to deliver cessation treatments and comprehensive, barrier-free insurance coverage that increases the use of cessation treatment services.

Finally, the report outlines proven population-based interventions that create an environment that motivates people who smoke to quit and makes it easier for them to do so.

Click **[HERE ](https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2020-smoking-cessation/index.html?s_cid=OSH_misc_M181&CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcessationsgr%2Findex.html)** for more information on the report.

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