- Coverage Criteria and Frequency Limits
- Checking Medicare Eligibility
- Top Tobacco Counseling Claim Errors
- Tobacco Cessation Telehealth Guide
- Overcoming Barriers to Tobacco Counseling
- Tobacco Counseling Documentation
- Clinical Guidelines and Recommendations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Federally Qualified Health Center
- Rural Health Clinic
- Tobacco and Health Effects
- Benefits of Quitting
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Resources
Tobacco and Health Effects
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States.
Tobacco dependence is a chronic, relapsing disorder that, like other chronic diseases, often requires repeated intervention and long-term support. The majority of people who use tobacco want to quit, but most try to quit multiple times before succeeding.
Table of Contents
Smoking and Cigarette Facts
- Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body.
- The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each year on marketing cigarettes.
- Smoking costs the United States hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
- States do not spend much of the money they get from tobacco taxes and lawsuits to prevent smoking and help smokers quit. The CDC recommends that states spend 12% of those funds on tobacco control.
- In 2020, 12.5% of U.S. adults (an estimated 30.8 million people) currently smoked cigarettes: 14.1% of men, 11% of women.
- Many adult cigarette smokers want to quit smoking.
- Smoking causes diminished overall health and increased health care utilization and cost.
Smoking and Increased Health Risks
Smokers are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer as compared to nonsmokers.
- Estimates show smoking increases the risk:
- For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times
- For stroke by 2 to 4 times
- Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times
- Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times
The damage to the heart and blood vessels from smoking can be repaired quickly for most smokers who quit. Even long time smokers can see rapid health improvements when they quit. Within a year, heart attack risk drops dramatically. Within five years, most smokers cut their risk of stroke to nearly that of a nonsmoker. Quitting smoking is hard and may require several attempts. Clinician-led cessation counseling and medication are proven treatments that can help smokers quit.
Related Content
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Internet-Only-Manual, Publication 100-03, Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual, Part 4, Section 210.4.1
- MLN® Educational Tool: Medicare Preventive Services
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Health Effects of Tobacco Use
Revised 10/9/2023