U.S. Adult Smokers Rate Drops To 18 Percent

A new government report reveals that fewer American adults are smoking. Last year, around 18 percent of national health survey participants described themselves as smokers.

The new report is from a survey of approximately 35,000 American adults. Current smokers in the survey are those who smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke everyday (or every few days).

The survey did not include teenagers. An earlier report revealed that around 16 percent of high school students were smokers as of 2011.

Constant Decline

The country’s smoking rate has been falling over the past few decades, although it seems to stay around the 20 to 21 percent level for around 7 years. In 2011, the rate fell to 19 percent, followed by last year’s lowest rate so far.

Health authorities are still studying the 2012 findings, trying to uncover the reason why the rate dropped.

Still the Leading Cause of Unnatural Illness

Smoking is still the leading cause of death and preventable illness in the U.S. It is the main reason for most lung cancer deaths, and is also a lethal factor for a variety of other illnesses, including heart attack.