Health
Cigarette smoking in America plummets to historic single-digit low, new study finds
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The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study.
About 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, a drop from 10.8% in 2023, according to an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence.
The findings mark the first time the adult smoking rate in the U.S. has fallen to the single digits, a milestone public health officials have pursued for decades.
The decline suggests the U.S. may be moving closer to the Healthy People 2030 goal — a national public health target — of reducing adult smoking to 6.1%.
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“If this decline continues, the target might be met or exceeded by 2030,” the researchers, led by Israel Agaku, an Atlanta-based public health researcher and professor, wrote in the paper.
The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes fell to 9.9% in 2024, the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study. (iStock)
But the milestone does not mean tobacco use has disappeared. About 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes — the most commonly used tobacco product in the United States — while nearly 47.7 million adults, or 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars or e-cigarettes, according to the researchers.
The study analyzed responses from more than 29,500 adults in 2023 and 32,600 adults in 2024 who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey and the most recent national data available on adult tobacco use.
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The drop in cigarette smoking helped drive a decline in overall combustible tobacco use, which includes cigarettes and cigars. About 12.6% of adults used combustible tobacco in 2024, down from 13.5% the year prior, according to the study.
The use of other tobacco products such as e-cigarettes remained largely unchanged. (iStock)
However, the prevalence of other tobacco products — including e-cigarettes and cigars — did not significantly change between 2023 and 2024, according to the study.
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“The lack of change in cigar and e-cigarette use calls for intensified implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies addressing all products,” the researchers wrote.
The study also found that tobacco use was not evenly distributed across the population.
Tobacco use was higher among certain occupational groups, including adults working in agriculture, construction and manufacturing. (iStock)
Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product compared with nearly 14% of women, according to the study.
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Tobacco use was also higher among certain demographic and occupational groups, particularly adults in industries such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.
The highest tobacco use was reported among people with a general educational development certificate at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income individuals and people with disabilities.
Young adults were more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes. Nearly 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes, compared with 3.4% who smoked cigarettes, according to the study.
Some experts note the findings reflect a shift in nicotine use rather than a disappearance of addiction.
Young adults were more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes, according to the study. (iStock)
John Puls, a psychotherapist and addiction specialist who runs Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, said the trend away from cigarettes but continued use of tobacco and e-cigarettes mirrors what he sees with patients.
“Most of my patients use e-cigarettes and various vape products,” Puls, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “They’re easier to conceal, can be used almost anywhere and deliver a much more powerful nicotine dose.”
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Cigarette smoking, on the other hand, is “more socially unacceptable than it has ever been,” he added. “I work with many patients who are addicted to nicotine, and the vast majority have never smoked a cigarette.”
Public health officials emphasize that no tobacco product is considered safe. (iStock)
Puls said this pattern is especially common among adolescents and young adults and is concerning because cigarettes typically deliver about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine, while some vape products can contain 20 to 60 milligrams.
“There’s also a perception that e-cigarettes are a safer form of smoking, which is contributing to the decline in cigarette smoking,” Puls added.
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Health officials stress that no tobacco product is safe, including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. and is responsible for about one in three cancer deaths, the agency says.
Public health officials say quitting support, smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are key tools for reducing smoking rates. (iStock)
Overall, sustained public health measures — including smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes and access to quitting support — remain critical to further reducing tobacco use, the researchers noted.
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The study had several limitations, including changes to how smokeless tobacco has been defined over the survey years, reliance on self-reported data and less reliable estimates for some smaller subgroups.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Agaku for comment.
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After a minor stroke, there are several risk factors that can predict another event, according to new research.
A study published in the journal Circulation by the American Heart Association investigated what happens after someone has a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a “mini-stroke.”
This was a follow-up to the previous PERSIST study, which found that stroke risk persisted after the typical 90-day monitoring window.
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The Canada-based researchers measured long-term risk, finding that individuals who experience a minor stroke face an elevated chance of a recurrence for at least 10 years.
The systemic review included 28 observational studies with more than 86,000 participants who were followed for at least one year after experiencing a minor stroke. The median age was 69 and 57% of them were men.
Researchers discovered that people who had smaller strokes were at a high risk of experiencing another event in the 10 years following. (iStock)
The review identified the following five key factors that may predict another stroke.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most important modifiable risk factor for stroke, according to the American Stroke Association.
- Smoking is another leading modifiable cause, roughly doubling the risk of a repeat stroke, per the above source.
- Cardioembolism is a type of stroke that occurs when a blood clot forms in the heart and travels to the brain, according to medical experts. This event has a high risk of recurrence compared to other types of strokes.
- Large-artery atherosclerotic stroke occurs when plaque builds up in major arteries, reducing blood flow or sending clots to the brain. It also has a high risk of recurrent stroke, especially in the first days or weeks after the initial event, according to experts.
- Small-vessel disease is a type of stroke that causes damage to the brain’s small penetrating arteries, often due to chronic hypertension and aging. It has a significant risk of recurrence over time, although lower than the previous two types.
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Older age was also associated with a higher risk.
The researchers said these results can help doctors spot patients who have a long-term risk of stroke, so they can keep a closer eye on them, provide the right treatment, and create more focused ways to prevent strokes.
The five factors that may predict another stroke include hypertension, smoking and three subtypes of stroke. (Justin Tallis, AFP/Getty Images)
Cardiologist Bibhu D. Mohanty, MD, cardiovascular sciences associate professor at University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, was not involved in the research but discussed the findings with Fox News Digital.
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“This is an interesting meta-analysis that is well-performed technically, in seeking to address a challenging question in a population that is demonstrating early signs of significant stroke risk,” he said.
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Identifying risk factors is an important first step in identifying “actionable intervention,” according to Mohanty.
“Now that we know what they are, what can we do about them?” he questioned. “As a medical community, we are all aware that there is considerable overlap in modification of brain health and heart health.”
“This highlights the importance of seeking collaborative insight and decision-making amongst cardiologist and neurologists when comprehensively managing patients with stroke or stroke risk,” a cardiologist said. (iStock)
The cardiologist said he treats many stroke patients, but was surprised by how many had cardioembolic strokes — caused by clots that form in the heart — on top of common vascular risk factors like high blood pressure and artery plaque.
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“From both a clinician and patient perspective, this highlights the importance of seeking collaborative insight and decision-making among cardiologists and neurologists when comprehensively managing patients with stroke or stroke risk,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.
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Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are declaring a war on microplastics.
These tiny bits of plastic, which are less than 5 mm in size, can persist in our environment for hundreds or thousands of years. They may also build up in our bodies, our hearts and our brains, causing untold damage.
For the first time, the EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its Contaminant Candidate List for drinking water, which will help to prioritize funding and pave the way for potential future regulation involving Congress.
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HHS is also launching the Systematic Targeting of Microplastics — or STOMP — to study how microplastics accumulate in the body.
Kennedy spoke with Fox News in an exclusive interview accompanying the EPA/HHS announcement.
“Microplastics, which are less than 5 mm in size, can persist in the environment for hundreds or thousands of years,” said Dr. Marc Siegel. “They may also build up in our bodies, our hearts and our brains, causing untold damage. (iStock)
“We do not have the science that distinguishes between the impacts of these different types of plastics, and maybe if we identify those impacts, the damaging ones can be immediately eliminated, because you can replace them with something else,” he said.
“Our job — and we are really at the limit of our power right now — is to try to answer those questions before we take another action.”
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Kennedy pointed to emerging science suggesting microplastics’ direct impacts on public health.
“Some of them may be benign – others are very, very harmful,” he warned. “The science shows if they cause inflammation, they cause oxidative stress.”
“As a body, they are endocrine disruptors, so they interfere with fertility,” he added.
For the first time, the EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its Contaminant Candidate List for drinking water, which will help to prioritize funding and pave the way for potential future regulation involving Congress. (iStock)
As emerging research suggests a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and neurodegenerative disease when microplastics are present at the cellular level, “the time to act is now,” according to Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
During a panel accompanying the announcement, Trasande compared the issue to efforts to reduce lead exposure in the 1970s, when the government took action as soon as the danger was identified, even before all research was complete.
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Kennedy, who has a long history of fighting chemicals in the environment, blames big businesses for causing the problem and wants them to clean it up. “That’s a lesson we are all supposed to have learned at kindergarten – that you clean up after yourself, you don’t force the public to do it.”
The same approach applies to pharmaceuticals that make their way into the environment, he noted.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin holds a microplastic sample during an announcement at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2026. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
“Particularly for our children, it’s very alarming. They are swimming around now in a toxic soup. It’s coming from everywhere,” Kennedy warned. “It’s coming from their food. It’s coming from agriculture. It’s coming from the air and water, and it’s coming from pharmaceutical drugs.
“Lee has directed his agency under President Trump to do this study so we can start regulating the discharge of these chemicals,” he went on. “A lot of them you can remove through carbon technology and other technologies.”
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Administrator Zeldin said he believes the fight against microplastics is a bipartisan issue. He is calling for more education and transparency when it comes to microplastics and public health, cautioning against the federal government proposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
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“You want to be able to get the answers, you want to see the gold-standard science,” he said. “You demand radical transparency. You’re looking through the website, and it’s ignoring what you came to that web page to look for. I feel like there’s a communication gap – and when there’s a communication gap, there’s a trust gap.”
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the microplastics announcement at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2026. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
Zeldin and Kennedy have been working closely under President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and say they enjoy working together.
“There’s no American in this country who can’t get heard somehow by Secretary Kennedy, and it’s just an honor to serve alongside him,” Zeldin said.
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Kennedy added, “I like everybody in that Cabinet, but Lee and I work with particular closeness, and I’ve really enjoyed the relationship.”
It is clear they would like this relationship to continue, even if their roles change. “You never know what’s going to happen,” Kennedy said.
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