MONDAY, May 27 (HealthScoutNews) -- It's estimated that one-in-five members of the adult American Hispanic community smokes, and the government would like to send them a message to quit.

A new national campaign to reduce smoking among Hispanics includes television public service announcements (PSAs) featuring actor Esai Morales of "NYPD Blue" and PBS' "American Family." The PSAs are part of an initiative by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) to decrease the amount of tobacco used by Hispanics. In 1997, 20.4 percent of Hispanic adults smoked cigarettes, and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanics, the CDC says. In the PSAs, Morales shares his personal experience as the child of a smoker. He recounts how as a young boy he hid cigarettes from his mother in an attempt to convince her to quit smoking. The 30-and-60 second spots are in English and Spanish and appear this summer.

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