WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Tobacco product use among U.S. middle and high school students has dropped to the lowest level in 25 years, according to newly released data from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Within the past year alone, at least half a million fewer students are using tobacco products, contributing to this important progress, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a press release.
In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported they are using any tobacco product, compared to 2.80 million in 2023. This decline was largely attributable to the significant drop in the number of students who reported current e-cigarette use. Within the past year, a significant decline also occurred in hookah use.
Another notable progress is that cigarette smoking reached the lowest level ever recorded by the survey, with only 1.4 percent of students reporting its current use.
'Reaching a 25-year low for youth tobacco product use is an extraordinary milestone for public health. However, with more than 2 million youth using tobacco products and certain groups not experiencing declines in use, our mission is far from complete,' said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.
The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyzed NYTS data to assess the use of nine tobacco products among U.S. middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students.
Youth e-cigarette use declined to the lowest level in a decade; however, for the 11th year in a row, e-cigarettes remained the most commonly used tobacco product (5.9 percent) among youth. In 2024, nicotine pouches became the second most commonly used tobacco product among youth, followed by cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, other oral nicotine products, heated tobacco products, hookahs and pipe tobacco.
The report also found varying progress across population groups. For example, during 2023-2024, the use of any tobacco product, e-cigarettes and multiple tobacco products significantly declined among female students and Hispanic students.
The observed decline in tobacco product use is likely the result of multiple factors, including the implementation of evidence-based strategies at the national, state and local levels, says CDC.
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