Deaths from smoking in the United States Deaths

Deaths from smoking in the United States

Deaths from smoking in the United States • This presentation provides estimates of the number of deaths caused by smoking in the United States • Particular emphasis is given to the number of deaths in middle age (defined as ages 35 to 69) • Available on www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Source of data: “Mortality from Smoking in Developed Countries, 1950– 2000” • Updated edition of a 1994 book, authored by an international team of scientists: – Richard Peto, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Oxford – Alan Lopez, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Queensland – Jillian Boreham, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford – Michael Thun, Chief of Epidemiology, American Cancer Society • Uses WHO mortality data for lung cancer and for other diseases, and UN population data www. deathsfromsmoking. net

United States Deaths from smoking, 1950 to 2000 • About 15 million people died from smoking during this 50 -year period in the United States • About half (8. 5 million) of them were still in middle age when they died • This was about one in four of all the deaths in middle age during this period (8. 5 million out of the 35 million deaths at ages 35 -69) www. deathsfromsmoking. net

United States, year 2000 Annual deaths from smoking • Smoking kills about 512, 000 people a year in the United States • About 192, 000 die in middle age from smoking • Many of those killed in middle age would have lived on for 10, 20, 30 or more good years • About 23 years of life are lost, on average, by those killed in middle age by smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net

United States, year 2000 Smoking causes about three times as many deaths as all non-medical causes put together 512, 000 smoking 151, 268* non-medical Murder / assault Suicide Road accidents Plane crashes Train crashes Accidents at work Accidents at home *in year 2000 www. deathsfromsmoking. net Falls Drowning Poisoning Fires Floods / storms Other natural disasters Other accidents

United States, year 2000 Smoking kills 512, 000 people a year, from many different diseases 144, 000 vascular 185, 000 cancer* 108, 000 respiratory www. deathsfromsmoking. net (heart disease, stroke and other diseases of the arteries and veins) 75, 000 other *includes 138, 000 (89%) of the 155, 521 lung cancer deaths

United States, year 2000 About one in three of all cancer deaths is due to smoking 185, 000 (33%) from smoking 115, 000 (40%) from smoking 70, 000 (26%) from smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net 553, 000 total cancer deaths 286, 000 male 267, 000 female

Male deaths in middle age from smoking • The main pattern of increase and, eventually, decrease in premature deaths from smoking is at a more advanced stage among men than among women • This pattern is seen first in middle age, then in old age • The next three slides concentrate on male deaths in middle age www. deathsfromsmoking. net

United States, year 2000 About one in four of all deaths in middle-aged men is due to smoking* www. deathsfromsmoking. net *118, 000 (29%) of the 405, 000 deaths at ages 35 -69

United States, year 2000 Of 100 men aged 35 years … • 27 die in middle age* • 8 of these 27 deaths are from smoking 8 27% www. deathsfromsmoking. net *risks at year 2000 death rates for ages 35 -69

United States, 1950 -2000 Male death in middle age: changing hazards* Smoking 1950 43% 6 1955 8 1960 10 1965 42% 13 1975 13 13 1985 12 1990 11 1995 2000 43% 12 1970 1980 All causes 10 8 43% 39% 36% 34% 31% 30% 27% www. deathsfromsmoking. net *risks at period-specific death rates for ages 35 -69

United States, year 2000 Summary for the whole population In the United States: • Smoking kills about 512, 000 men and women every year • About 192, 000 die in middle age from smoking • Smoking causes about three times as many deaths as all non-medical causes put together • About one in three of all cancer deaths is due to smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Messages for the individual smoker • The risk is big: about half are killed • Those killed in middle age lose many years • Stopping smoking works – Even in early middle age, those who stop (before they have lung cancer or some other fatal disease) avoid most of their risk of being killed by tobacco – Stopping before middle age works even better www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Deaths from smoking: an electronic resource www. deathsfromsmoking. net Published by International Union Against Cancer (UICC), Geneva: Switzerland, 2006 Funded by Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU), University of Oxford International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Fogarty International Center, US NIH UK Medical Research Council Cancer Research UK Project team Project management Advice and support Design Richard Peto, Judith Watt, Jillian Boreham Sinéad Jones Steve Woodward, Konrad Jamrozik, Lesley Walker, Trish Cotter bwa-design. co. uk