U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General

About this resource:

HHS Non-systematic Review

Source: Office of the Surgeon General

Last Reviewed: January 2020

Workgroups: Tobacco Use Workgroup, Cancer Workgroup

This Surgeon General’s report updates and expands on the 1990 report, using new evidence on smoking cessation. It summarizes updated knowledge and reviews: 

  • Patterns and trends in quitting smoking
  • Biologic processes 
  • Health and economic benefits of stopping smoking
  • Interventions  
  • Strategies to help people stop smoking 

This updated report offers new opportunities and challenges to understand and promote smoking cessation in the United States.

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Objectives related to this resource (22)

Reduce current tobacco use in adults — TU‑01
Improving
Reduce current cigarette smoking in adults — TU‑02
LHI label
Improving
Reduce current cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking in adults — TU‑03
Improving
Reduce current tobacco use in adolescents — TU‑04
LHI label
Getting worse
Reduce current e-cigarette use in adolescents — TU‑05
Little or no detectable change
Reduce current cigarette smoking in adolescents — TU‑06
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current cigar smoking in adolescents — TU‑07
Improving
Reduce current use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents — TU‑08
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current use of flavored tobacco products in adolescents who use tobacco — TU‑09
Baseline only
Eliminate cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults — TU‑10
Improving
Increase past-year attempts to quit smoking in adults — TU‑11
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who get advice to quit smoking from a health care provider — TU‑12
Little or no detectable change
Increase use of smoking cessation counseling and medication in adults who smoke — TU‑13
Baseline only
Increase successful quit attempts in adults who smoke — TU‑14
Little or no detectable change
Increase successful quit attempts in pregnant women who smoke — TU‑15
Getting worse
Increase the number of states, territories, and DC that prohibit smoking in worksites, restaurants, and bars — TU‑17
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of smoke-free homes — TU‑18
Improving
Reduce the proportion of people who don't smoke but are exposed to secondhand smoke — TU‑19
Little or no detectable change
Eliminate policies in states, territories, and DC that preempt local tobacco control policies — TU‑20
Little or no detectable change
Increase the national average tax on cigarettes — TU‑21
Improving
Reduce the proportion of adolescents exposed to tobacco marketing — TU‑22
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the lung cancer death rate — C‑02
Improving

Suggested Citation

1.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Surgeon General. (2020). Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-cessation-sgr-full-report.pdf [PDF - 10.3 MB]