One in Five High-School Students Smoke Cigarettes
A new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report has found that although high-school smoking rates have declined over the last decade, one out of five high-schoolers still smoke cigarettes.
Every two years, the CDC analyzes data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to evaluate trends in cigarette use among high school students in the United States. Researchers looked at whether high school students ever smoked (including taking just one or two puffs), currently smoked (defined as smoking at least one day during the previous 30 days), or currently frequently smoked (defined as smoking 20 or more days during the previous 30 days).
In 1999, 35 percent of high school students smoked. In 2009, the number dropped to almost 20 percent. While this seems promising, a nationwide goal was set under the Healthy People 2010 initiative to reduce the number of teen smokers to 16 percent.
For ever-smoked cigarettes, the rate changed from 70.1% in 1991 to 46.3% in 2009; for current smoking, the rate decreased from 27.5% to 19.5% in 2009; and for current frequent cigarette use, the rate decreased from 12.7% in 1991 to 7.3% in 2009. For all three measures, the rate of decline slowed from 2003 to 2009.
Among male students, white students, white male students, Hispanic male students, and 11th-grade students, current cigarette use increased from 1991 to 1997, declined from 1997 to 2003, and then remained stable. Among Hispanic students and Hispanic female students, current cigarette use increased from 1991 to 1995, declined from 1995 to 2003, and then remained stable. Among 12th-grade students, current cigarette use increased from 1991 to 1999, declined from 1999 to 2003, and then remained stable. Among black female students, current cigarette use increased from 1991 to 1999 and then declined, with no slowing or leveling off.
These slower decline rates are discouraging, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said in a press release, adding that more needs to be done to curb teen smoking. The CDC suggested that reductions in advertising, promotions, and availability of cigarettes should be combined with community tobacco control programs. Last year, new rules that limit the marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products went into effect.
Sources: CDC, Cigarette Use Among High School Students--United States, 1991-2007, July 8, 2010
CNN Health, High school smoking down but still 1 out of 5, July 8, 2010
