A report of the Surgeon General, 1998
Executive Summary

On 27 April 1998, US Surgeon General David Satcher released the 1998 Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health. This is the 24th report of the Surgeon General on smoking and health, and the first to focus exclusively on tobacco use and tobacco control needs among racial/ethnic minority groups.

In addition to the full report and an executive summary, Surgeon General Satcher and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a consumer-oriented four-page summary of the report (“At a Glance”) and a fact sheet for each of the four population groups studied in the report: African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.

The full report, the executive summary, the “At a Glance” summary, and the fact sheets are available through the CDC’s web site < http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/osh/sgr-minorities.htm >.

Some of this material—the full report and part of the executive summary (introduction and summary of conclusions)—is available only in portable document format (PDF), which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader software to access. Information about Adobe Acrobat Reader, and how to download it from the world wide web, is available on the CDC’s web site.

The complete report contains 332 pages, 85 tables, and 22 figures. The published version can be ordered through the CDC’s web site or using the form reproduced on page 209. The executive summary, the “At a Glance” summary, and the fact sheets can be ordered by writing to or calling the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, Mailstop K-50, 4770 Buford Highway, NE; Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724; USA; telephone: +1 770 488 5705 (press 2). In addition, in the United States, one can call CDC’s toll-free (freephone) number (1-800-CDC-1311) to request a faxed version of the executive summary.

Much of the executive summary is reproduced below. The acknowledgments section has been …