Resources & Links
Find the latest resources and links on tobacco prevention and control issues, and learn the basics about tobacco. Read reports, publications, and research articles, and see what other organizations are doing to eliminate tobacco use and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.
Tobacco 101
Get the facts about tobacco, including brief statistics and facts. For information on the different forms of tobacco and nicotine products, visit our emerging and alternative products page.
- 19.3% of adults aged 18 or older are current cigarette smokers (Source: CDC, 2011 MMWR)
- 27.7% of people aged 12 years or older are current users of some form of tobacco (Source: 2009 NSDUH)
- An estimated 40% of nonsmokers have measurable amounts of cotinine, a nicotine byproduct metabolized by the body after breathing in secondhand smoke (Source: CDC, 2010 MMWR)
- More than 30% of children in the U.S. live with at least one smoker (Source: Pediatrics, 2009 King et al)
- Close to 70% of tobacco users report wanting to quit (Source: CDC, 2011 MMWR)
- Every day, more than 1,200 people in this country die due to smoking (Source: Surgeon General Report, 2012)
- 90% of smokers start before the age of 18 (Source: Surgeon General Report, 2012)
- Each year in the U.S., cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion in lost productivity and health care costs. SHS costs more than $10 billion in health care expenditures (Source: CDC, 2011 Winnable Battles)
- There is no safe level of exposure to SHS (Source: Surgeon General Report, 2006)
Reports and Publications
- National Cancer Institute (NCI): Smoking/Tobacco Publications
The NCI offers links to its publications about tobacco control research, including monographs, reports, and a link to publications specifically targeted towards tobacco users. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Disparities and Inequalities Report 2011
Reports that highlight health disparities by sex, race and ethnicity, income, education, disability status, and other social characteristics in the US. - CDC Report on Secondhand Smoke Exposure
Although SHS exposure rates are declining, millions of nonsmokers are still exposed in homes, workplaces, public places, and vehicles. Forty percent of non-smoking adults and nearly 54% of children between the ages of three and 11 were exposed to SHS in 2007-2008. - CDC Report on Adult Smoking Rate
After a steady decline, adult smoking rates have remained virtually unchanged at around 20% since 2004. In 2009, nearly 24% of men, 18% of women, and 19.5% of high school youth smoked; 31% of these smokers live below poverty level. - Institute of Medicine — Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation
The report reviews effective prevention and treatment interventions, and considers a set of new tobacco control policies for adoption by federal and state governments. - The Tobacco Atlas
The World Lung Foundation and American Cancer Society are proud to present The Tobacco Atlas, Fourth Edition, in print and as a unique, interactive resource.
Research Articles
- School Absenteeism Among Children Living With Smokers
This study establishes a link between school absenteeism and living in a home with a smoker. Lost wages for caregivers who care for absentee children is discussed, as well as potential solutions. - Worldwide Burden of Secondhand Smoke
Exposure to SHS is common in many countries, but the true magnitude of this problem is poorly described. This study aimed to estimate the worldwide exposure to SHS and associated burden of disease in children and adult non-smokers in 2004. - Using the Postpartum Hospital Stay to Address Mothers' and Fathers' Smoking: The NEWS Study
This study tested the feasibility and acceptability of introducing an intervention to address mothers' and fathers' smoking during the postpartum hospitalization. - Childhood Obesity: The New Tobacco
Tobacco control became a successful public health movement due in part to cigarette companies being perceived as a common enemy. Framing obesity as a common threat can lead to a consensus regarding the interventions needed to achieve healthier children. - Acceptability of Testing Children for Tobacco-Smoke Exposure: A National Parent Survey
Tests are available to measure children's exposure to tobacco smoke. One potential barrier to testing children for tobacco smoke exposure is the belief that parents who smoke would not want their child tested. - Combating the Global Tobacco Epidemic
Deaths from tobacco are projected to reach one billion in the 21st century, and the number of smokers worldwide continues to rise. This editorial suggests what can be done to combat this epidemic. - Addressing Family Smoking in Child Health Care Settings
This study discusses strategies for integrating evidence-based tobacco use screening, cessation assistance, and referral to outside services into visits with families in outpatient child health care settings. - Exposure to Tobacco on the Internet: A Content Analysis of Adolescents' Web Use
In this study, researchers performed a content analysis of all Web pages viewed by a random sample of adolescents to describe exposure to tobacco and smoking-related text and images. - Tobacco Use Cessation Counseling of Parents
This article reviews the recommendations of the 2008 update of the guideline Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence and their application in the pediatric setting.
Links to Other Organizations
- Action to Quit
A tobacco control initiative of Partnership for Prevention, Action to Quit urges all sectors – health care systems, employers, insurers, government agencies, quitlines, and policymakers – to work together to develop and promote sound tobacco control policies. - Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD)
ATTUD is comprised of providers who are dedicated to promoting and increasing access to evidence-based tobacco cessation and dependence treatment. - Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leader in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences in the US and around the world. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health
The CDC, through its Office on Smoking and Health, is the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control. - FamilyDoctor.org
Family-oriented information presented by the American Academy of Family Physicians, a national medical organization representing family practice physicians. - Knock Tobacco Out of the Park
This Web site discusses the harms of smokeless tobacco, and discusses how Major League Baseball is trying to create a tobacco-free environment. - Map of State Smoking Laws
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation maintains maps with up-to-date information about state smoking laws. - Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network
The Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network seeks to link state and national cessation leaders together to collaborate on tobacco control implementation approaches and strategies. - Tobacco.org
This site contains international articles about tobacco control news and efforts. There is also a database of tobacco industry ads and tobacco-related quotes. - Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium
The Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC) assists tobacco control efforts by offering a repository of information and resources from many different organizations on its Web site. - US Environmental Protection Agency Smoke-free Homes and Cars Program
This program, through the Environmental Protection Agency, assists families in keeping homes and cars smoke-free.
