A study by University of Minnesota found that smoking rates amongst adults with higher income and more education have dropped by almost 50 percent.

The researchers studied people in the age group of 25 to 74 and found that today only 15.5 percent of men and 12 percent of women are smokers as compared to 33 percent amongst men and women three decades ago. The study focused on the smoking trend in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area from 1980 to 2009 which have dropped significantly in the past three decades.

“Smoking cessation efforts have made an impact, but more emphasis needs to be placed on people in lower income brackets and those with less education,” Kristian B. Filion of the epidemiology and community health division at the University of Minnesota. “This group may not have the same access to medical care or the public health messages in the news media just aren't reaching them.”

"The prevalence of smoking has been decreasing, but it remains a public health issue. We need to have a better grasp on designing specific interventions for specific groups. A one-size-fits-all approach to stop smoking may not be as successful in some groups," Filion said.

The good news is that even those who are smokers are smoking less than earlier generation, and that cigarette per day has gone down from 23 to 13 in men and 21 to 10 amongst women. Today lesser people were thinking of smoking or even picking it up.

The study, a part of the Minnesota Heart Survey was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Quebec Foundation for Health Research.