According to the study, how many smokers said they preferred menthol cigarettes?

It is estimated that over 400,000 Americans every year die of smoking related diseases. But kicking the habit is not so easy. A new study finds that smokers who smoke menthol cigarettes could have more trouble trying to quit compared to people who use non-menthol cigarettes. When a study began in 1985, 1,500 smokers had a medical exam and answered the questions about their smoking habits. 63% of the smokers said they preferred menthol cigarettes, and these smokers who preferred menthols were less likely to have quit smoking after 15 years. 69% of the menthol smokers were still smoking when researchers asked again about smoking habits in the year 2000. Among people who had originally preferred non-menthol cigarettes, 54% were still smoking in 2000. The researchers say that both menthol and non-menthol cigarettes are equally dangerous, but menthol cigarettes may actually be harder to quit.