Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths every year (CDC 2010). In 2009, 20.6% of US adults were current cigarette smokers (CDC 2010). Many smokers are aware of the harmful effects of smoking and about 70% of smokers report wanting to quit completely (CDC 2010); however, only 4–7% of smokers are able to quit smoking without medication or formal treatment (Fiore et al. 2008). Yet, recent data also suggest that only about 22% of smokers who attempted to quit used cessation medication (Cokkinides et al. 2005; Fiore et al. 2008). Among those smokers who do use pharmacotherapy, fewer than one-third are able to stay smoke-free for at least 6 months (Fiore et al. 2008).
