Tobacco Use Dropped, Teen Smokers in Kentucky

Fewer teens are smoking these days — which is welcome news for many health advocates. A recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says current tobacco use and cigarette smoking dropped for middle and high school students nationally from 2000 to 2011. Among middle school students, current tobacco use dtropped from 14.9 percent to 7.1 percent, and current cigarette use dropped from 10.7 percent to 4.3 percent. Among high schoolers, tobacco use dropped from 34.4 percent to 23.2 percent, and cigarette smoking dropped from 27.9 percent to 15.8 percent. While the report didn’t break down the statistics by state, Kentucky consistently ranks at or near the top for tobacco use in surveys. In the 2011 Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 24 percent of high school students reported smoking cigarettes at least once during the 30 days before the survey, and 17 percent reported using chewing tobacco, snuff or dip. “Despite partial bans on some forms of advertisement, pro-tobacco marketing continues to have an effect on youths’ susceptibility to trying cigarettes,” CDC researchers wrote. “Continued efforts to reduce tobacco marketing and advertisement that affect youths might have further impacts on preventing tobacco use.”