Tobacco Use By Youth Is Rising

Tobacco Use By Youth Is Rising

E-cigarettes are the main reason

There were 1.5 million more current youth e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017.

4.9 million youth were current tobacco product users in 2018.

Use of any tobacco product grew by 38.3% among high school students (2017-2018).

Overview

Tobacco product use among US youth is increasing. More than 1 in 4 high school students and about 1 in 14 middle school students in 2018 had used a tobacco product in the past 30 days. This was a considerable increase from 2017, which was driven by an increase in e-cigarette use. E-cigarette use increased from 11.7% to 20.8% among high school students and from 3.3% to 4.9% among middle school students from 2017 to 2018. No change was found in the use of other tobacco products, including cigarettes, during this time.

Among youth:

• E-cigarettes are still the most commonly used tobacco product, ahead of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah, and pipes.
• E-cigarettes are the most commonly used product in combination with other tobacco products.
• E-cigarette use is highest for boys, whites, and high school students.

Tobacco product use among high school students—2018

Close

Download Image[PNG]

View Text Description

SOURCE: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011-2018.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), February 2019.

Close

Download Image[PNG]

View Text Description

Close

Download Image[PNG]

View Text Description

Problem

Any tobacco product use among youth is unsafe, including e-cigarettes.

• Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including about 70 that cause cancer.
• Nearly all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, contain nicotine.
• Youth nicotine use can lead to addiction and can harm the developing brain, impacting learning, memory, and attention.

The Way Forward

Parents and Educators Can:

• Set a positive example by not using tobacco products themselves.
• Learn about different types and risks of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Healthcare Providers Can:

• Ask specifically about e-cigarettes when screening for tobacco product use.
• Warn youth about the risks of all tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes.

Schools Can:

• Adopt and enforce tobacco-free campus policies that include e-cigarettes.
• Reject tobacco industry-sponsored prevention programs, which are proven not to work.

States and Communities Can:

• Prohibit smoking and e-cigarette use inside workplaces and public places.
• Increase the minimum age of sale of tobacco products to 21 years.
• Prohibit the sale of flavored  tobacco products.

Increase in youth e-cigarette use happened at same time as increased JUUL sales.

Close

Download Image[PNG]

View Text Description

JUUL is now the most commonly sold e-cigarette in the US.

• JUUL is an e-cigarette shaped like a USB flash drive and is easy to conceal.
• JUUL uses liquid nicotine refills called “pods,” which contain at least as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and are available in flavors that appeal to youth.
• JUUL devices are being used by youth in schools, including inside bathrooms and classrooms.

Tobacco Use By Youth Is Rising – February 2019 – Vital Signs

View Transcript Low Resolution Video

Issue Details

Related Pages and Resources

• CDC Vital Signs – Tobacco Product Use by Youth [PODCAST – 1:15 seconds]
• Tobacco Product Use by Youth [PSA – 60 seconds]
• Vital Signs: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2018, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Vital Signs: Press Release – Progress erased: youth tobacco use increased during 2017-2018 [Spanish]
• Youth and Tobacco Use
• Know The Risks: E-cigarettes & Young People
• Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults
• E-cigarette Fact Sheet: Parents, Educators and Health Care Providers
• E-cigarette Infographic: Teachers and Parents
• 2016 Surgeon General’s Report: E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults
• 2014 Surgeon General’s Report: The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress
• Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2012

Other Sites

• Truth Initiative: Quitting E-cigarettes
• Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes
• FDA’s The Real Cost Campaign

Science Behind the Issue

• Vital Signs: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2018, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Science Clips

For More Information
1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
Web: www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
Publication date: February 11, 2019

Content provided and maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please see our system usage guidelines and disclaimer.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Material produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a work of the United States government and is in the public domain.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.