52% tried to stop smoking, CDC says

— More than half of American smokers tried to quit the habit as the daily use of cigarettes fell, U.S. health officials say.

About 19 percent of U.S. adults, or 43.8 million, reported smoking daily or most days in 2011, little changed from 19.3 percent a year earlier, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. That’s down from more than 20 percent in 2005. About 52 percent of those surveyed reported trying to stop smoking in the preceding year.

The number of cigarettes Americans are smoking each day has fallen.

In 2011, 9.1 percent of daily smokers reported puffing on more than 30 cigarettes daily, a drop from 12.6 percent six years earlier.

Those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes a day increased to 22 percent in 2011 from 16.4 percent six years earlier, the agency said.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 11/09/2012

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