Fewer American adults are smoking, and those who still do are lighting up less, suggests a nationwide survey from the US Centers for Disease Control released on Tuesday.
Using data from 2005 to 2010, researchers with the US government agency reckoned that 19.3 percent of American adults -- or 45.3 million people over the age of 18 -- are smoking cigarettes, down from 20.9 percent in 2005.
The proportion of heavy smokers who consume 30 or more cigarettes a day fell to 8.3 percent from 12.7 percent, although those who smoke nine or less cigarettes daily rose to 21.8 percent from 16.4 percent of the smoker population.
"States with the strongest tobacco control programs have the greatest success at reducing smoking," said CDC director Tom Frieden, with Utah and California having the nation's fewest smokers.
Despite the apparent progress, the CDC survey -- based on household interviews -- detected a slower rate of decline in smoking between 2005 and 2010 than in the preceding five-year period.
Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke is the number one preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, claiming an estimated 443,000 American lives every year, the CDC said in a statement.
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