About the Campaign

The Burden of Tobacco Smoking

Tobacco smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, with cigarette smoking alone killing more than 480,000 Americans each year. It causes immediate damage to your body, which can lead to long-term health problems. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. The best strategy to protect yourself from the harmful effects of smoking is to never smoke, and if you do smoke tobacco products, to quit.

Real People, Real Stories

In March 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the first-ever paid national tobacco education campaign—Tips From Former Smokers™ (Tips™). The Tips campaign profiles real people who are living with serious long-term health effects from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.

Since its launch, Tips has featured compelling stories of former smokers living with smoking-related diseases and disabilities and the toll these conditions have taken on them. The campaign, which continues through 2017, has also featured nonsmokers who have experienced life-threatening episodes as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Tips ads focus on many health issues caused by, associated with, or made worse by smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, including:

• Cancer (lung, throat, head and neck, colorectal)
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Asthma
• Diabetes complications
• Buerger’s disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Gum disease
• Preterm birth
• HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)
• Vision loss
• Dual use (the current use of both cigarettes and electronic cigarettes)
• Mental health conditions (depression and anxiety)

The Tips campaign engages doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and many other health care providers so they can encourage their smoking patients to quit for good. Resources for health care providers, public health professionals, and mental health providers can be found on our Partners page.

Tips Campaign Goals

• Build public awareness of the immediate health damage caused by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Encourage smokers to quit and make free help available.
• Encourage smokers not to smoke around others and nonsmokers to protect themselves and their families from exposure to secondhand smoke.

Tips Campaign Audiences

• Primary audiences include adult smokers ages 18 through 54.
• Secondary audiences include family members, health care providers, and faith communities.

Tips Campaign Key Messages

• Smoking causes immediate damage to your body, which can lead to long-term health problems.
• For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.
• Now is the time to quit smoking, and if you need help, free assistance is available by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Tips Campaign Results to Date

• Since 2012, the Tips^TM campaign has motivated an estimated 500,000 tobacco smokers to quit for good.
• In 2016, the average weekly call volume to 1-800-QUIT-NOW was 92.7% higher than the average call volume during the two-week baseline period, representing almost a doubling of call volume.
• As a result of the 2014 campaign, an estimated 1.83 million smokers attempted to quit smoking and 104,000 smokers quit smoking for good.
• As a result of the Tips 2013 campaign, non-smokers reported increased conversations with family or friends about the dangers of smoking and had greater knowledge of smoking-related diseases.
• The Tips 2012 campaign motivated an estimated 1.64 million smokers to make a quit attempt and about 100,000 smokers to quit for good.
• As a result of the 2012 campaign, approximately 17,000 premature deaths from smoking were estimated to be averted, and 179,000 years of healthy life gained. With total campaign costs of about $48 million, Tips spent approximately:
  • $480 per smoker who quit
  • $2,819 per premature death prevented
  • $393 per year of life saved
  • $268 per year of healthy life gained

At those amounts, the Tips campaign is a “best buy” in public health, it save lives and saves money.

• Smokers who have seen Tips ads report greater intentions to quit within the next 30 days and next 6 months, and smokers who have seen the ads multiple times have even greater intentions to quit.

Tips Campaign Resources

Free help is available for those who want to quit. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or explore I’m Ready to Quit!

• Spanish speakers can call 1-855-DÉJELO-YA or explore ¡Estoy listo para dejar de fumar!
• Free help is also available through the following Asian-language quitlines:
  • Mandarin and Cantonese: 1-800-838-8917
  • Korean: 1-800-556-5564
  • Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440

Learn more about the health consequences caused by smoking and help spread the word with Tips materials, available in English or Spanish. Our Campaign Resources page is also available in Spanish: Recursos de la campaña.