The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the
American Cancer Society, is an annual event that encourages
smokers to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance
and quit smoking on that day in an effort to stop permanently
(1). The 37th annual Great American Smokeout
will be held on November 15, 2012.
In 2010, nearly two out of three adult smokers wanted
to quit smoking, and approximately half had made a quit
attempt for >1 day in the preceding year (2). However, in
2011, an estimated 19.0% (43.8 million) of U.S. adults
still smoke (3).
Quitting smoking has immediate benefits to health
at any age, including reduced risk for heart disease and
certain cancers. Getting help through counseling or medications
can double or triple the chances for quitting (4).
Additional information and support for quitting is available
online (http://www.smokefree.gov) or by telephone
(800-QUIT-NOW [800-784-8669]). In addition, real
stories of persons who have quit successfully can be found
on CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers website at http://
www.cdc.gov/tips.