Today U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a new report titled “Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death:  Addressing Disparities — A report of the Surgeon General.” This report expands upon the 1998 Surgeon General report, “Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups” which documents racial and ethnic disparities in tobacco use.  Since this time, the United States (U.S.) has made substantial progress in reducing tobacco use in the overall population.  But progress has not resulted in the same outcomes across all U.S. population groups.  As a result, some groups continue to experience tobacco-related health disparities.

This new Surgeon General’s report — the 35th on smoking and health — summarizes progress toward eliminating tobacco-related health disparities in the U.S. and examines:

Disparities in patterns of commercial tobacco use, exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, and smoking-related health outcomes;

Influences of flavors and menthol in tobacco products;

Social and environmental factors that influence disparities;

The tobacco industry’s past and present targeting of certain groups of people; and

Policies and practices to prevent and reduce tobacco use and address tobacco-related health disparities.

The report concludes with the Surgeon General’s vision for a tobacco-free future — a world in which zero lives are harmed by or lost in tobacco.  This vision focuses on strategies to eliminate the use of tobacco products combined with efforts to remove obstacles to tobacco-related health equity.

Collaborators Webinar

You’re invited to attend a webinar where Surgeon General Murthy will provide an overview of the new report.

Date:  Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Time:  2 pm ET
Call Information:  https://www.hhs.gov/live/surgeon-generals-report-collaborators-webinar-ch2/index.html

Surgeon General Report Materials

The following materials provide an overview of the Surgeon General’s report, key findings, and answers to questions that you or others might have about the report.  These materials can be found on cdc.gov/EndTobaccoDisparities:

Surgeon General’s Report:  Reviews the latest scientific evidence about commercial tobacco-related health disparities.

Executive Summary:  Contains the major content of the report, including overall major and chapter specific conclusions.

Key Findings Fact Sheet:  Provides an overview of the key findings from the report.

Consumer Guide:  Offers and easy-to-read overview of the report and its findings.

Tobacco-Related Health Disparities Fact Sheet:  Presents a visual overview of the report and its findings.

PowerPoint Slide Deck:  Provides slides to help educate people about the report and its findings.

Videos:  Short videos featuring the Surgeon General Murthy speaking abotu the report and tobacco-related health disparities.

Help Spread the Word!

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up to date on the Surgeon General’s report launch events, post launch activities, and additional information by following these social media profiles.  And use the hashtag #EndTobaccoDisparities to join the conversation!

• CDC’s Tobacco Free Facebook Page
• CDC’s Tobacco Free X Account
• Suregon General’s Facebook Page
• Surgeon General’s X Account
• Surgeon General’s Instagram Page

Share Social media Messages
Use the following posts and images via your social media channels.  Remember to use #EndTobaccoDisparities to join the conversation.

• X:  Each year in the U.S. more than 470,000 adults are estimated to die from cigarette smoking and certain groups of people are at greater risk for disease, disability, and death due to commercial tobacco use.  Read a new report from @surgeon_general about the role you can play to help #EndTobaccoDisparities:  CDC.gov/EndTobaccoDisparities #SGR
• Facebook:  Each year in the U.S. more than 470,000 adults were estimated to die from cigarette smoking and certain groups of people are at greater risk for disease, disability, and death due to commercial tobacco use.  Read a new report from @USSurgeonGeneral about the role you can play to help #EndTobaccoDisparities:  CDC.gov/EndTobaccoDisparities #SGR
• Instagram:  Each year in the U.S. more than 470,000 adults are estimated to die from cigarette smoking and certain groups of peoople are at greater risk for disease, disability and death due to commercial tobacco use.  Read a new report from @u.s.surgeongeneral about the role you can play to help #EndTobaccoDisparities:  CDC.gov/EndTobaccoDisparities #SGR

Questions

Reach out to us at SGReports@cdc.gov if you have questions or need additional assistance.

This new Surgeon General’s report makes it clear – it’s time we put an end to tobacco-related health disparities for everyone, once and for all.  Working together, we can ensure all people have fair and just opportunities and conditions to live a life free from commercial tobacco-related disease, disability, and death.  Together we can do this