Measuring the Health Impact of Smoking and Health Care Providers' Performance in Addressing the Problem

The data presented by Vollset and colleagues in this issue showed that the benefits of smoking cessation were stronger for persons who quit at younger ages (<40 and 40 to 49 years of age) but were also evident for those quitting at older ages (50 to 59 years of age). This supports the public health message that "it's never too late to quit." We must use evidence-based practice guidelines, quality improvement measures, national consensus standards, and public policy to continue to mitigate the enormous burden of tobacco-caused disease.