CDC: More than 200,000 Americans quit smoking after graphic ad campaign
By Brady Dennis, Monday, September 9, 3:05 PM
An estimated 200,000 Americans quit smoking in the wake of a federally funded ad campaign that graphically showed the consequences of tobacco use, according to a study released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said an estimated 1.6 million U.S. smokers attempted to quit this past year after encountering the three-month Tips From Former Smokers campaign, which was funded by the Affordable Care Act. Of those, 200,000 quit shortly after the campaign. More than 100,000 are expected to stop permanently.
The TIPS campaign surpassed our expectations, CDC Director Thomas Frieden told reporters in a call Monday, saying the results represented more than a doubling of initial goals. Thats a tremendous success story. These are Americans that will live longer lives, healthier lives with lower health-care costs.
The $54 million ad series, which ended in June 2012, featured stark images and emotional pleas from ex-smokers suffering from a variety of ailments, including amputated limbs, oral and throat cancer, paralysis, lung damage, strokes, and heart attacks.
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