Tools and programs customized for you. Help with creating and maintaining private health records . Get all this and more now, free . While the prevalence of smoking among adults is decreasing, there's a new, steady stream of smokers who are just becoming addicted - our children. Each day, more than 3,000 young people become regular smokers - more than one million new smokers each year.
Smoking continues to be the single most preventable cause of death in the United States.
Each year, more than 400,000 people die from smoking-related diseases. Among teens who are regular smokers, one in three will die from smoking. In recent years, the focus of tobacco control has expanded to include strategies to prevent individuals from ever starting to smoke. Reaching young people early is important because the decision to use tobacco is nearly always made in the teenage years, and about one half of young people who take up smoking continue to use tobacco as adults. Research shows that kids who don't try tobacco by the time they are 18 are unlikely to ever smoke.