Smoking rates among U.S. adults remained stalled in 2008, halting the nation's efforts to cut tobacco use, a government study reports.
The study by the Centers for Disease Control, released in advance of the annual Great American Smokeout, found that 46 million Americans, or about 20.6%, were current cigarette smokers in 2008. That was virtually unchanged since 2004, when 20.9% of adults said they were smokers.
As in previous studies, the CDC noted a correlation between smoking and education levels. In 2008, 41.3% of persons with a general education development certificate smoked cigarettes, compared to 5.7% percent of persons with a graduate degree.
