According to a 2006 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 22% of high school students in American smoke cigarettes everyday. In fact, even if the study indicated that smoking had already declined over the last four years, the statistics still show that one in five Americans still smoke cigarettes. A 2005 study revealed that more than 20% of adults in the United States are smokers. While smoking rates among high school students have been on a decline since 1997, the rate of teenagers who smoke is equal to, and in some cases, higher than that of adults. The younger the individuals start smoking, the more likely that they will continue smoke as an adult. Given these figures, it is not surprising that smoking is the leading cause of premature deaths in the United States.