| Demographic Group: | Cigarette Smoking Among Youth |
| Numerator: | Respondents in grades 9–12 who report having smoked a cigarette on >=1 day during the previous 30 days. |
| Denominator: | Respondents in grades 9–12 who report having or not having smoked a cigarette on >=1 day during the previous 30 days (excluding those who did not answer). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous 30 days. |
| Background: | In 2003, a total of 22% of students in grades 9–12 smoked >=1 cigarette during the previous 30 days. A greater percentage of white students smoked than did black or Hispanic students. |
| Significance: | In each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, purchasing tobacco products is illegal for youth aged <18 years. Among adults in the United States who ever smoked daily, 82% tried their first cigarette before age 18 years. Approximately 440,000 deaths each year are attributed to cigarette smoking, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lung disease. Environmental tobacco smoke has been demonstrated to increase the risk for heart disease and lung cancer among nonsmokers. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | Indicator does not convey the frequency of using cigarettes or the lifetime and current amount of cigarettes smoked. Each of these might affect the risk for chronic disease. Indicator does not measure intent or attempts to quit smoking among smokers or exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among nonsmokers. It also does not indicate the usual source of acquiring cigarettes. |
| Data Resources: | Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS).
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/ |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, YRBSS and YTS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., no participation by certain schools), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 27-2: Reduce tobacco use by adolescents. (27-2a is specific for tobacco products [previous month]; 27-2b is specific for cigarettes [previous month].) |
