The number of middle and high school children who use tobacco products has dropped since 2000, but the decline has been slowing down in recent years, says a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report calls for laws that require more impacting health warnings on tobacco packaging and advertisements, as well as greater funding for anti-tobacco programs.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) informs that tobacco consumption is still the single leading preventable cause of death and disease in America. Over four-fifths of all regular adult smokers started smoking before they became adults.

CDC analyzed data from NYTS (National Youth Tobacco Survey) for the period 2000-2009. NYTS is a school-based survey which gathers data on tobacco use and related behaviors and attitudes among middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (9-12) pupils. The 22,679 study participants were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires annually from 2000 to 2009.

Any tobacco product – besides cigarettes, includes cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipes, small brown cigarettes wrapped in leaves (bidis), and clove cigarettes (kreteks).

Current use – having used the tobacco product at least once during the preceding 30 days.

MMWR reveals that in 2009:

  • 8.2% of middle school students reported current use of any tobacco product
  • 23.9% of high school students reported current use of any tobacco product
  • 5.2% of middle school students reported current use of cigarettes
  • 17.2% of high school students reported current use of cigarettes

The report adds that overall prevalence did not decline during the 2006-2009 period for use of any tobacco product among middle or high school pupils.

During the 2000-2009 period, among middle school children:

  • The prevalence of current tobacco use dropped 15.1% to 8.2%
  • The prevalence of current cigarette use dropped 11% to 5.2%.
  • The prevalence of cigarette smoking experimentation dropped 29.8% to 15%

During the 2000-2009 period, among high school children:

  • The prevalence of current tobacco use dropped 34.5% to 23.9%
  • The prevalence of current cigarette use dropped 28.0% to 17.2%
  • The prevalence of cigarette smoking experimentation dropped 39.4% to 30.1%

Overall susceptibility to start cigarette smoking was unchanged.

The report added that:

To further decrease tobacco use and susceptibility to use among youths, restrictions on advertising, promotion, and availability of tobacco products to youths should be combined with full implementation of evidence-based, communitywide, comprehensive tobacco control policies.

“Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students – United States, 2000–2009”
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) CDC
August 27, 2010 / 59(33);1063-1068

Written by Christian Nordqvist