According to the CDC report, Americans made more than eight million attempts to stop smoking in 1997 and 1998, up from about two million in 1991, the year before the introduction of the nicotine patch. The CDC figures were based on an analysis of data from pharmacies and over-the-counter purchases of smoking-cessation products.

The study found that the patch accounted for 49 percent of the drug-assisted efforts to quit smoking in 1998, compared to 28 percent of smokers using nicotine gum, and 21 percent trying the prescription drug Zyban. Use of a nicotine inhaler and nasal spray accounted for less than 3 percent of stop-smoking attempts.

"Smokers are always looking for something that will be helpful, and you never know which product might work the best for a particular smoker," said Rod Todd of the American Cancer Society.

Todd noted that it's common for smokers to go through several cycles of trying to quit. He added that 70 percent of people who smoke want to quit, with about 40 percent of them trying to quit in any given year.

The CDC survey recommended that smoking-cessation products be included as an insured medical benefit.

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