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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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Fact Sheet
Youth and Tobacco Use: Current Estimates
(updated December 2006)
Cigarette Smoking
- Twenty-three percent of high school students in the United States are current
cigarette smokers—23% of females and 22.9% of males.1
- Approximately 26% of whites, 22% of Hispanics, and 13% of African Americans in high school
are current cigarette smokers.1
- Eight percent of middle school students in this country are current
cigarette smokers,2 with estimates slightly higher for females
(9%) than males (8%).2
- Nine percent of whites, 10% of Hispanics, 8% of African
Americans, and 3% of Asian Americans in middle school are current
cigarette smokers.2
- Each day in the United States, approximately 4,000 young people between the ages of
12 and 17 years initiate cigarette smoking, and an estimated 1,140 young people become daily cigarette
smokers.3
Other Tobacco Use
- Thirteen percent of high school students are current cigar smokers,
with estimates higher for males (18%) than for females (8%).2
Nationally, an estimated 5% of all middle school students are
current cigar smokers, with estimates of 7% for males and 4% for females.2
- An estimated 10% of males in high school are current smokeless
tobacco users,2 as are an estimated 4% of males in
middle school.2
- An estimated 3% of high school students are current users
of bidis; bidi use is more common among males (4%) than females
(2%).2 An estimated 2% of middle school students
are bidi users, with estimates of 3% for males and 2% for females.2
Factors Associated with Tobacco Use among Youth
- Factors associated with youth tobacco use include low socioeconomic
status, use and approval of tobacco use by peers or siblings, smoking
by parents or guardians, accessibility, availability and price of tobacco
products, a perception that tobacco use is normative, lack of parental
support or involvement, low levels of academic achievement, lack of
skills to resist influences to tobacco use, lower self-image or self-esteem,
belief in functional benefits of tobacco use, and lack of self-efficacy
to refuse offers of tobacco.4,5
- Tobacco use in adolescence is associated with many other health
risk behaviors, including higher risk sexual behavior and use of alcohol
or other drugs.4
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette Use
Among High School Students—United States, 1991–2005.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online].
2006: 55(26);724–726 [cited 2006 Dec 5]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5526a2.htm.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tobacco Use, Access,
and Exposure To Tobacco in Media Among Middle and High School Students—United
States, 2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online].
2005: 4(12);297–301 [cited 2006 Dec 5]. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5412a1.htm.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2005).
Results From the 2005
National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
(PDF–1.41MB)
(Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-27, DHHS Publication No.
SMA 05–4061) [cited 2006 Dec 5]. Rockville, MD. Available from:
http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k5nsduh/2k5results.pdf.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Preventing Tobacco
Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General.
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994 [cited 2006 Dec 5]. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_1994/index.htm.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Reducing Tobacco
Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Office on Smoking and Health, 2000 [cited 2006 Dec 5]. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_2000/index.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO
Media Inquiries: Contact CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press
line at 770-488-5493.
Page last updated 03/19/2007