The battle to get adult smokers in the United States to quit
has stalled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in
November that 20.6 percent of adults — about 46 million — were smokers in 2008,
up slightly from 19.8 percent in 2007.
Although the smoking rate has dropped sharply since the
mid-1960s, when it hovered around 40 percent, the CDC had hoped to lower the
rate to 12 percent or less by 2010. The lack of progress is dismaying to health
officials because smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the
United States, killing 443,000 people a year.
Despite cigarette price hikes, antismoking ad campaigns and
smoking bans in offices and restaurants, adult smoking rates have changed little
since 2004, partly because the efforts haven’t been widespread enough, the CDC
says. So what does work? If you’re trying to quit, consider these proven
methods:
—Exercise: Physical activity changes the way the brain
processes information, reducing the cravings for nicotine, according to
research from the University of Exeter published earlier this year in the
journal Psychopharmacology. Other studies have shown that just one short burst
of moderate exercise — a brisk walk for as little as five minutes, for example
— can significantly reduce smokers’ nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
—Seek out other quitters: Smokers are twice as likely to
kick the habit if they use a support group, found a University of Bath study
published in the February issue of Addiction. More than a third of smokers
using support groups quit after four weeks, almost double the proportion of
those using one-to-one support.
—Try a substitute: Strong and consistent evidence shows that
nicotine replacement products can help people quit smoking. Nicotine patches,
gum, lozenges, nasal spray and inhaler are equally effective, says the National
Cancer Institute.
—Cut back: Cutting back on the number of cigarettes smoked,
coupled with nicotine replacement, raised the quit rate in 16 of 19 studies
reviewed by University of Vermont researchers, who said their 2006 findings
contradict the commonly held belief that smokers must stop abruptly.
—Drugs: The FDA has approved two prescription drugs —
bupropion, an antidepressant marketed as Zyban, and Varenicline, which is
marketed as Chantix — to help reduce the urge to smoke.
In a few years, smokers may be able to inject themselves
with a vaccine to combat their habit. Nabi Pharmaceuticals’ NicVax, which is in
late-stage tests, is designed to prevent nicotine from entering the brain,
where it creates a highly addictive sensation of pleasure.
—More help: The National Cancer Institute talks about what
works and what doesn’t at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/cessation.
Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
