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Intense smoking cessation works according
to finding from Lung
Health Study of NIH
Newswise
— Intense smoking cessation programs can dramatically improve
long-term survival among smokers, according to findings from the
Lung Health Study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Results published in the Annals
of Internal Medicine show the death rate for those in smoking
cessation programs dropped 15 percent. “Smoking is the single most
avoidable cause of disease, disability and death in the United
States,” said William
Bailey, M.D., director of UAB’s Lung Health
Center. “Our findings
indicate that simply quitting smoking can lead
to significantly improved mortality, particularly in cardiovascular
disease, lung cancer and COPD.” According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, approximately 22.5 percent of adults and 26
percent of high school seniors smoke. Smoking contributes to more
than 440,000 deaths per year.
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