Smoking Cessation Podcasts

Listen to More Information About Smoking Cessation

(Podcasts and transcripts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Transcript:
Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2005 to 2012
Recorded: January 21, 2014; posted: January 23, 2014

[Announcer] This program is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cigarette smoking has declined slowly but steadily in the U.S., still over 42 million adults are cigarette smokers and about 33 million of these smokers smoke every day. Smoking remains a leading cause of major health problems and is linked to nearly a half a million deaths each year. Smoking is associated with most cancers, as well as heart disease, stroke, infertility, and asthma. What’s encouraging is that the largest decrease in people who have quit smoking is among 18 to 24 year olds. No matter how long you’ve smoked, quitting can significantly reduce your risk for serious health problems.

Thank you for joining us on A Minute of Health with CDC.

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Quit for Your Family's Sake (0:59)

Transcript:
This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC—safer, healthier people.

Approximately one in five people in the US still smoke despite its well known and highly publicized negative health effects, including cancer and heart disease. It harms nearly every organ of the body. Each year, almost half a million Americans die from this addiction. Quitting smoking has immediate and long term benefits for you and your loved ones.

There are many effective strategies out there to help someone quit smoking, but most smokers don't use them. Proven interventions, such as assistance from a health care provider, medications, and counseling, can increase a smoker's chance for success. Quitting smoking is not easy, but it is worth the effort.

Thank you for joining us on a Minute of Health, with CDC.

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov, or call 1-800 CDC-INFO, 24/7.

Smoking and Ways to Quit (4:17)

Transcript:
This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC—safer, healthier people.

Host: Welcome to a cup of health with CDC, a weekly feature of the MMWR, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Gains.

Approximately one in five people in the US still smoke, despite its well-known and highly publicized negative health effects including cancer and heart disease. Each year, almost one half million Americans die from this addiction. There are many effective strategies out there to help someone quit smoking, but most smokers don't use them. Dr. Terry Pechacek is associate director for science in CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. He's joining us today to discuss smoking and ways to quit.

Welcome to the show, Terry.

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Happy to be here with you, Bob.

Host: Terry, is smoking among Americans, increasing or decreasing?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: For the first time ever, less than twenty percent of adults smoke in this country. Unfortunately, smoking rates are declining much slower than they were ten or twenty years ago.

Host: Is smoking more common among any particular groups?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Smoking rates are higher among men, particularly younger men, and we continue to see very large disparities across income, education, and higher smoking rates within certain racial and ethnic groups such as American Indians and Alaska natives.

Host: What public health strategies can help reach everyone to reduce smoking?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Increasing the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products, both prevents children from starting to smoke and helps all smokers quit. Banning smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars also makes it much easier for people to quit smoking.

Host: Now you mentioned that banning smoking public places also reduces secondhand smoke. So of all the deaths we know from smoking, how many are actually related to secondhand smoke?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: We estimate that about fifty thousand deaths each year are among people who are not smokers. In other words, it's coming from the secondhand smoke in public places.

Host: So what do we know about how smokers try and quit?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Many people are trying to quit. About seventy percent want to quit and about forty percent of smokers in this country are trying each year. Unfortunately, most people are trying to quit without the most effective help.

Host: Terry, what interventions are particularly effective in helping someone quit?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Smokers should be aware that there are treatments and services available that can help them quit now more effectively than ever. Smokers can more than double their likelihood of success in quitting by using the right medications and accessing telephone counseling. To access free counseling from anywhere in the United States, you can call 1(800)QuitNow.

Host: Terry, on a sad note, I understand the CDC and the tobacco control community recently lost one of its leading advocates, Dr. Ron Davis. Can you tell us a little about Dr. Davis's contributions?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: Dr. Davis was a pioneer in changing the priority of prevention in the American Medical Association. Through his teaching and leadership in the field of tobacco prevention and control, he's a beacon of what a difference one person can make.

Host: Terry, where can listeners get more information on how to quit smoking?

Dr. Terry Pechacek: From the CDC website www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

Host: Thanks, Terry. I've been talking with CDC's Dr. Terry Pechacek about smoking. Remember, if you smoke do whatever you can to quit. You're twice as likely to successfully quit if you get help with counseling and medications.

Until next time, be well. This is Dr. Robert Gaines for a cup of health with CDC.

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1(800)CDC-INFO, 24/7.

Snuff Out Smoking (0:59)

Transcript:
This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC—safer, healthier people.

Many people in the United States smoke without ever lighting up. Smoke is dangerous whether you inhale it from a cigarette or breathe it from the air where others around you are smoking.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 chemicals that can cause cancer and heart disease among non-smoking adults. In children, it worsens asthma and causes ear infections. It can even cause sudden infant death syndrome.

Many states have outlawed smoking in public places, such as worksites, restaurants, and bars. However, several states still have no restrictions on smoking.

Only completely smoke free environments can fully protect your health. Protect yourself and your family by avoiding secondhand smoke exposure whenever possible.

Thank you for joining us on a Minute of Health, with CDC.

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov, or call 1-800 CDC-INFO, 24/7.