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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.

Read more about this resource

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]