Tobacco Prevention

Tobacco Prevention

 Youth and Tobacco Use (cdc.gov)

                       Graphic: Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011-2015.Information/description follows below.

Youth use of tobacco in any form is unsafe.

If smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from a smoking-related illness. That’s about 1 of every 13 Americans aged 17 years or younger alive today.

Background

Preventing tobacco use among youth is critical to ending the tobacco epidemic in the United States.

Tobacco use is started and established primarily during adolescence.

  • Nearly 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers first tried smoking by age 18, and 99% first tried smoking by age 26.
  • Each day in the United States, more than 3,200 youth aged 18 years or younger smoke their first cigarette, and an additional 2,100 youth and young adults become daily cigarette smokers.

Flavorings in tobacco products can make them more appealing to youth.

  • In 2014, 73% of high school students and 56% of middle school students who used tobacco products in the past 30 days reported using a flavored tobacco product during that time.

Estimates of Current Tobacco Use Among Youth

Cigarette smoking has declined among U.S. youth in recent years, but the use of some other tobacco products has increased.

Cigarettes

From 2011 to 2015, current cigarette smoking declined among middle and high school students.

  • About 2 of every 100 middle school students (2.3%) reported in 2015 that they smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days—a decrease from 4.3% in 2011.
  • About 9 of every 100 high school students (9.3%) reported in 2015 that they smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days—a decrease from 15.8% in 2011.

Electronic cigarettes

Current use of electronic cigarettes increased among middle and high school students from 2011 to 2015.

  • About 5 of every 100 middle school students (5.3%) reported in 2015 that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days—an increase from 0.6% in 2011.
  • 16 of every 100 high school students (16.0%) reported in 2015 that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days—an increase from 1.5% in 2011.

Hookahs

From 2011 to 2015, current use of hookahs increased among middle and high school students.

  • 2 of every 100 middle school students (2.0%) reported in 2015 that they had used hookah in the past 30 days—an increase from 1.0% in 2011.
  • About 7 of every 100 high school students (7.2%) reported in 2015 that they had used hookah in the past 30 days—an increase from 4.1% in 2011.

Smokeless Tobacco

In 2015:

  • Nearly 2 of every 100 middle school students (1.8%) reported current use of smokeless tobacco.
  • 6 of every 100 high school students (6.0%) reported current use of smokeless tobacco.

All Tobacco Product Use

  • In 2015, about 7 of every 100 middle school students (7.4%) and about 25 of every 100 high school students (25.3%) used some type of tobacco product.
  • In 2013, nearly 18 of every 100 middle school students (17.7%) and nearly half (46.0%) of high school students said they had ever tried a tobacco product.

Use of multiple tobacco products is prevalent among youth.

  • In 2015, about 3 of every 100 middle school students (3.3%) and 13 of every 100 high school students (13.0%) reported use of two or more tobacco products in the past 30 days.
  • In 2013, more than 31 of every 100 high school students (31.4%) said they had ever tried two or more tobacco products.

Youth who use multiple tobacco products are at higher risk for developing nicotine dependence and might be more likely to continue using tobacco into adulthood.

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