For the first time over the past decade adult smoking rate grew a little bit, but enough to upset health officials and ruin their plans to reduce nationwide smoking rate to a constant level of below 20 percents.

In conformity with last year’s poll carried out by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21.2 percent of adult residents admitted they have been regular or occasional smokers. That is a 1,4% growth from the 19.8 percent smokers registered in 2007. This also makes the first rise in the rates since 1994, according to the CDC reports.

Although the rise is not very significant and officials claim that the percentage is flat, but the health experts are sad, saying that they met an obstacle, which is rather hard to overcome.

Health organizations have been working hard during the last two decades to change public attitude towards smokers, and succeeded in making people aware that smoking is related to severe health complications. Various smoking restrictions, tobacco taxes and even provision of the FDA with the authority to regulate tobacco products have been implemented to convince smokers to give up.

However, scientists claim that victories over Big Tobacco have been offset by recession, and namely by cuts or closures of state anti-smoking campaigns.

Moreover, tobacco companies adjusted their marketing strategies to reach audiences with messages about spiritual independence and other temptations, and what is more important, they have been launching discount brands and campaigns to compensate hefty taxes and retain smokers.

Between 1996 and 2005, the average cost of a pack of 20 cigs went up by more than 60 percent and contributed to a 15 percent decline in smoking rates. However, within the last four years the average price grew only 2 percent, and consequently, the smoking rate dropped just 1 percent.

The nationwide rate of adult smokers has been falling since the late 1960s, when nearly 40 percent of adults smoked. Currently it is 20 percents; however, it is a certain loss for federal health officials who had set ambitious plans to reduce the rate to 10 percent by 2011.

Smoking rates remained flat at roughly 21 percent between 2004-2006, then lost 1% in 2007, which gave authorities their hopes of continuous decline for the nearest future, however, now it is evident that it was just a temporary decrease, as smokers got used to high prices and returned to their vicious habit.

The latest survey was carried out among approximately 22,000 people throughout the nation.

Another report, also by the CDC based on state-by-state results of telephone interviews of almost 400,000 people, showed that Indiana and West Virginia are home to the highest number of smokers in the nation with 26 percent of adult residents being smokers; however, such states as Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kentucky have slightly lower rates.

According to the report, Utah is home to the lowest rate, as just 9 percent of adult Utahans admitted to be smokers.