Study: 443,000 die each year of smoking

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ATLANTA, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- An estimated 443,000 U.S. adults died in 2010 from smoking-related illnesses -- the single largest preventable cause of death -- federal health officials say.

A report published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said smoking was estimated to cost the United States $96 billion in direct medical expenses and $97 billion in lost productivity annually.

The CDC's Office on Smoking and Health used data from the National Health Interview Survey to estimate current national cigarette smoking prevalence.

The findings indicated 19 percent of U.S. adults -- 43.8 million -- smoked cigarettes in 2011, down from 19.3 percent in 2010. Among daily smokers, the proportion who smoked more than 30 cigarettes per day declined significantly from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 9.1 percent in 2011, but the proportion of those who smoked one to nine cigarettes per day increased significantly, from 16.4 percent to 22 percent, the report said.

Of the 43.8 million cigarette smokers on 2011, 77.8 percent smoked every day, and 22.2 percent smoked some days.

Overall, among current smokers and those who had quit during the preceding year, 51.8 percent made a quit attempt for more than one day during the preceding year, the report said.