According to the CDC, more than 3 million middle and high school students reported using tobacco products within the previous 30 days.
11.3% of the students surveyed, in total. According to the CDC’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, 4.5% of middle school kids and 16.5% of high school students overall reported using tobacco currently.
E-cigarettes were the most widely used product, followed by pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookahs, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products. The research is from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which was carried out from January 18 to May 31 of that year.
Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, stated in a statement that “commercial tobacco product use continues to endanger the health of our nation’s young, and inequities in youth tobacco product use persist.” “By addressing the issues that contribute to young people using tobacco products and supporting them in quitting, we can give our country’s kids the best chance at leading the healthiest lives possible.”
By group, 12.3% of female students, 10.3% of male students, 13.5% of non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native students, 12.4% of White students, 11.5% of Black students, 11.1% of Hispanic or Latino students, and 3.1% of Asian students had used tobacco products in the previous 30 days.
16% of people who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; 16.6% of people who identified as transgender; 18.3% of people who reported experiencing severe psychological distress; 12.5% of people with low family wealth; and 27.2% of people who said they received mostly F grades reported using tobacco.
Favors, marketing, and false perceptions of harm are three important elements influencing juvenile tobacco usage. According to the CDC, the majority of young people who use tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, wish to stop.
The report stated that “youth usage of tobacco products – in any form – is dangerous.” Such items include nicotine, a highly addictive substance that can impair a teen’s developing brain. Adolescents who use nicotine run the danger of developing an addiction to other drugs in the future.
According to the paper, due to variations in data collection methods, it is “restricted” to compare survey results from 2022 to earlier years.
