Recent data reveals that the lowest number of American teenagers and preteens in a quarter-century are currently engaging in tobacco use. E-cigarettes remain the top choice, with 6 percent of middle and high school students using them in 2024. Nicotine pouches, a new product delivering nicotine through the cheek and gum, ranked second at nearly 2 percent, followed by traditional cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. The National Youth Tobacco Survey has been monitoring student usage since 1999.
A higher percentage of high school students (10%) reported using any tobacco product in the last month compared to middle school students (5.4%). The current use of e-cigarettes among high schoolers dropped from 10% in 2023 to just under 8% in 2024, resulting in a significant decrease overall. This decline was largely driven by a reduction of 350,000 high school students using any tobacco product.
Disparities persist in tobacco consumption among young people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Previous studies have shown that certain groups have been targeted by the tobacco industry through advertising tactics such as promoting menthol cigarettes to Black communities and utilizing tribal imagery to appeal to American Indian and Alaskan Native populations.
Published on: October 25th, 2024 at 12:22:16
Source: www.sciencenews.org