National Center for Chronic Disease Prev

Preventing Initiation of Tobacco Use National Center for Chronic Disease Prev

Preventing the initiation of tobacco use is a national public health priority. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States, and nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. Furthermore, cigarette smoking by young people has immediate adverse health consequences, including addiction, and accelerates the development of chronic diseases across the life course. Several studies have concluded that comprehensive state tobacco control programs are effective at reducing tobacco use by youth and young adults and have resulted in overall reductions in smoking prevalence, as well as concomitant decreases in state spending on tobacco-related health care.