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Older people who smoke may think there's no reason to give up the habit. After all, hasn't the damage to their bodies already been done? But it turns out there's a benefit to quitting even later in life. Research published Wednesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that older adults who quit smoking in their 60s had a lower chance of dying in the years that followed than contemporaries who kept smoking. (Hobson, 11/30)

Data released Tuesday comparing cities on various measures of public health showed Kansas City residents more likely than those elsewhere to drop dead from drugs in the heroin family, to get injured or killed by firearms or to die from lung cancer. The numbers released by the Big Cities Health Coalition compared 28 cities on measures ranging from cancer deaths to binge drinking. (Canon, 11/29)

During the 10-year existence of Tobacco Free Florida -- Florida's tobacco education and prevention program -- adult and teen smoking rates have hit a record low, state data shows. The adult smoking rate in Florida has dropped from 21 percent to 16 percent, the lowest it has ever been, according to the Department of Health. Smoking rates among young people has decreased from 11 percent to 3 percent during the past decade. (Miller, 11/29)