Report: U.S. Smoking Rate Hits Record Low, but Vaping Keeps Rising

On November 15, reports from foreign media indicated that the smoking rate in the U.S. has hit a record low, but the use of vaping devices continues to rise. Experts say the rise of e-cigarettes is hindering what would have been a significant public health achievement.

According to data from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 14% of American adults smoked in 2018, a significant drop from 42% in 1965.

Additionally, all signs seem to indicate that the prevalence of smoking continues to decline:

In 2018, about 55% of adult smokers attempted to quit, up from nearly 53% in 2009. About 7.5% of smokers reported successfully quitting in 2018, compared to 6.3% in 2009. The quit rate for smokers who permanently quit increased from about 52% in 2009 to about 62% in 2018.

However, experts say that one in five adults still use some form of tobacco, and the popularity of e-cigarettes threatens the anti-smoking progress.

Dr. David Hill, a member of the American Lung Association's National Board, stated that this is both good news and bad news. "For decades, we have made significant progress in reducing combustible cigarette use, but when you look at this report and they talk about e-cigarette use, it is very concerning."

Other tobacco products used by adults include cigars (3.9%); e-cigarettes (3.2%); smokeless tobacco (2.4%); and pipes or hookahs (1%).

Researchers noted that e-cigarette use among adults increased from 2.8% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2018.

However, researchers also noted that 21% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month in 2018, and as they transition into adulthood, they are expected to contribute to an increase in adult tobacco use.

One indication of this is that the proportion of youth aged 18 to 24 using e-cigarettes is generally higher than that of adults, rising from 5.2% in 2017 to 7.6% in 2018.

Dr. Emanuela Taioli, director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, said that adolescence is a time for experimentation, and many people are unaware that it contains nicotine, which is how they become addicted. Nicotine is the most powerful addictive product on the market.

Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, pointed out that in addition to nicotine addiction, vaping also includes its own set of health hazards.

The CDC reported last week that over 2,000 cases of severe lung disease have been linked to vaping, with a fatty chemical, vitamin E acetate, found in 29 samples of lung fluid from vapers hospitalized in 10 states.

However, the CDC did not rule out the possibility that other compounds or ingredients may contribute to the wave of lung diseases associated with vaping.

Meanwhile, Taioli attributed the success of anti-smoking efforts to anti-tobacco advertising, tobacco taxes, raising the legal smoking age, and state and local smoking bans.

She stated that cities with the highest smoking bans and strictest restrictions have the lowest smoking rates.

Hill from the Lung Association said that those who want to quit smoking should not rely on e-cigarettes for help.

"Basically, we don’t have much evidence that e-cigarettes are a smoking cessation product. They are indeed a transition product, where people switch from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes, and for young people, it serves as an entry product."

Experts say that smokers should seek support and help from their healthcare providers, including prescriptions that have been proven to be effective in replacing nicotine.