More than 1 million smokers attempted to quit because of CDC campaign

ATLANTA — A series of smoking ads from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that detail the health problems of real-life smokers led more than 200,000 smokers to quit immediately, the agency said Monday.

The CDC said that of those who had quit immediately thanks to the "Tips from Former Smokers" campaign, which it launched last year, more than 100,000 would likely quit permanently, and a total of 1.6 million had attempted to quit. The agency had estimated that 500,000 would attempt to quit, and 50,000 would do so successfully.

"Quitting can be hard, and I congratulate and celebrate with former smokers — this is the most important step you can take to a longer, healthier life," CDC director Tom Frieden said. "I encourage anyone who tried to quit to keep trying — it may take several attempts to succeed."

The ads feature former smokers who have faced such health problems as cancer and emphysema, offering "tips," such as not facing the water while taking a shower if one has had a tracheotomy.