Youth Tobacco Product Use Drops during 2015-2016
The drop includes the use of e-cigarettes
According to new CDC data, tobacco use by middle and high school students has dropped from 4.7 million in 2015 to 3.9 million in 2016. The findings were released in the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survery, which appeared in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Declines were also seen in students who used two or more tobacco products, combustible tobacco products, and hookah.
“Far too many young people are still using tobacco products, so we must continue to prioritize proven strategies to protect our youth from this preventable health risk,” said CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat, M.D.
The agency attributes the drop in tobacco use to tobacco prevention and control strategies at the national, state, and local levels.
“While these latest numbers are encouraging, it is critical that we work to ensure this downward trend continues over the long term across all tobacco products,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “The FDA has invested heavily in compelling, science-based education campaigns, such as ‘The Real Cost,’ that have already helped prevent nearly 350,000 kids from smoking cigarettes, and continues to enforce important youth access restrictions. We plan to build on these vital efforts to reduce tobacco-related disease and death.”