Cigarette smoking in the United States hit an all-time low last year as more people tried to quit, according to an annual study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.
According to the CDC, 13.7% of U.S. adults, or 34.2 million people, said they smoked last year, an analysis of data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey showed.
That is down slightly from 2017; use of tobacco products overall remained largely the same.
"This marked decline in cigarette smoking is the achievement of a consistent and coordinated effort by the public health community and our many partners," CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a statement.
"Yet, our work is far from over. The health benefits of quitting smoking are significant, and we are committed to educating Americans about the steps they can take to become tobacco-free."
Brian King, deputy director for research translation in the CDC's office on smoking and health, noted the bad news is 50 million adults use "some tobacco product," CNBC reported.
And, according to the CDC, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing about 480,000 Americans every year.
Use of e-cigarettes among adults increased to 3.2% in 2018 from 2.8% in 2017. The data does not reveal whether e-cigarette users are former smokers who have switched.
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