Smokers can get help kicking the habit

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Quitting smoking is never easy, but the American Cancer Society is hoping to help millions of Americans kick the habit for at least one day. Thursday marks the organization's 24th annual Great American Smokeout.

"Today more than ever, smokers have a number of resources available to improve their ability to quit," said Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently published the report of an independent task force studying anti-tobacco programs.

And today more than ever, smokers have a reason to quit.

ALSO Smoking is one of the major risk factors for lung cancer     MORE Read part of the task force report     CHAT TRANSCRIPT Get some tips for kicking your smoking habit from Ron Todd, director of tobacco control for the American Cancer Society

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, David Satcher, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. More than 400,000 U.S. adults die every year from tobacco-related illnesses, including lung cancer and heart disease.

But there are programs that can help reverse the trend.

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services reviewed 166 studies on tobacco control and 14 specific anti-tobacco strategies. It found nine that could be "strongly recommended" or "recommended" to communities and health agencies to help curb smoking.

For instance, the task force found that raising the price of cigarettes was an effective way to keep kids from starting to smoke, especially when communities also used ad campaigns or school education programs to highlight the dangers of smoking. Both of those strategies were "strongly recommended."

Implementing smoking bans and restrictions was also strongly recommended to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke.

Lowering the cost of treatments to help smokers quit was another recommended strategy.

"The recommendations will help communities and health care systems choose interventions that work and are well matched to their needs and capabilities," Koplan said.

Some of the task force findings are published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for November 10. The group's full report will be published in next year's edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services is an independent body that is producing a series of community health reports with the support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other public and private groups.

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CDC: Tobacco Information and Prevention Source

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