Nov 13, 2015 12:03 PM EST By Rashmi Kalia, UniversityHerald Reporter

The number of smokers in the United Stated of America has declined by a remarkable 20 percent during the last 10 years, according to an announcement by health officials, Nature World Report reports.

The CDC concluded this from data obtained by a survey of Americans.

"The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 16.8 percent in 2014. Cigarette smoking was significantly lower in 2014 (16.8 percent) than in 2013 (17.8 percent)", said the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention team in their report.

The researchers give credit to anti smoking campaigns, better insurance coverage and tougher laws against smoking in many public places, NBC News reports.

CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement, "Smoking kills half a million Americans each year and costs more than $300 billion. This report shows real progress helping American smokers quit and that more progress is possible."

Researchers mentioned in their findings, "data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey show that 27.9 percent of uninsured adults and 29.1 percent of Medicaid recipients currently smoke. By contrast, 12.9 percent of adults with private insurance and 12.5 percent of those on Medicare currently smoke."

The findings also revealed that men have a higher tendency of smoking as compared to women, which is 18.8 percent versus 14.8 percent.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids stated, "Our immense progress reveals that we know how to defeat tobacco. Proven methods must be implemented with full force countrywide, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws, well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs that include mass media campaigns, and comprehensive, barrier-free health insurance coverage for smoking cessation treatments."

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