HHS HealthBeat (October 08, 2008)

Stalling on kids’ smoking

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Sometimes, a nosedive is a good thing. From 1997 to 2007, the proportion of high school students who smoked fell by half.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bases that on its surveys of high school-age teens.

But the CDC’s latest data indicate we can’t pat ourselves on the back yet, because that good downtrend seems to have flattened out – or stalled.

The CDC’s Terry Pechacek thinks the anti-smoking message is getting drowned out:

``The American Legacy Foundation media campaign has only about half the level of funding. And a number of major states that have the most dramatic prevention campaigns have completely gone off the air.’’  (10 seconds)

Pechacek notes that tobacco companies haven’t stopped promoting cigarettes. He says parents and others need to be sure teens realize smoking is dangerous.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October, 08 2008