Health Topics – Tobacco

Tobacco use can be reduced by increasing access to evidence-based treatments, such as behavioral counseling and medication that help people quit. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends policies and programsexternal icon to reduce out-of-pocket costs for evidence-based cessation treatments based on strong evidence of effectiveness in increasing the number of tobacco users who quit. Additionally, health-system level interventions, such as integrating tobacco use screening and treatment into routine clinical care, can support providers in helping patients quit.

Increasing the price of tobacco productsexternal icon is one of the most effective ways to reduce consumption. A 10% increase in price has been estimated to reduce adult cigarette consumption by 3–5%. Research on cigarette consumption suggests that both youth and young adults are two to three times more likely to respond to increases in price than adults. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends interventions that increase the unit price of tobacco products based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing tobacco use.

Mass-reach health communication interventions access large audiences through television and radio broadcasts, print media (e.g., newspaper), out-of-home placements (e.g., billboards, movie theaters, point-of-sale), and digital media to change knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors affecting tobacco use. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends mass-reach health communication interventionsexternal icon based on strong evidence of effectiveness in decreasing the prevalence of tobacco use and increasing cessation and use of available services, such as quitlines.

For example, CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers^® (Tips^®) campaign profiles real people who are living with serious long-term health effects due to smoking cigarettes and secondhand smoke exposure.  The Tips campaign serves as an important counter to the $8.2 billion that was spent on advertising and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in 2019—more than $22 million every day, or nearly $1 million every hour. For every $3,800 CDC spends on Tips ads, one death is prevented. From 2012 to 2018, CDC estimates that more than 16.4 million people who smoke have attempted to quit and approximately one million have successfully quit because of the Tips campaign.

Significant disparities exist in secondhand smoke exposure, impacting non-Hispanic Black Americans; people who live below the federal poverty level; those who work in traditionally “blue collar” industries, service occupations, or construction; people who live in multi-unit housing; and children, particularly those aged 3-11 years.  Smoke-free policies include government policies and private-sector rules that prohibit smoking in indoor spaces and public areas. State and local ordinances often establish smoke-free standards for indoor spaces, including workplaces, restaurants and bars. Private-sector policies may include tobacco-free campus policies that prohibit all tobacco use at a company’s buildings and grounds. There is no safe amount of exposure to secondhand smoke. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends smoke-free policiesexternal icon to reduce secondhand smoke exposure and tobacco use. In addition to reducing secondhand smoke exposure, smoke-free policies can also promote smoking cessation, prevent smoking initiation, and reinforce smoke-free norms.

An estimated 375,000 retailers sell tobacco products across the US. Point-of-sale strategies that focus on the retail environment have potential to further advance tobacco prevention and control efforts. These strategiespdf iconexternal icon include: product availability; pricing and promotion; advertising and display; age of sale; and retail licensure.