FDA: Use of E-cig Among American High School Students Dropping to 10%

According to a report by Fox23 on November 2nd, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed a decrease in the proportion of high school students currently using any tobacco products between 2022 and 2023 (from 16.5% to 12.6%). This decline was primarily driven by a reduction in e-cigarette usage (from 14.1% to 10.0%).

However, the current proportion of middle school students using at least one tobacco product is expected to significantly increase during 2022-2023 (from 4.5% to 6.6%), and the proportion of students using multiple tobacco products is also expected to increase (from 1.5% to 2.5%).

E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco products among middle and high school students for the past decade, according to recent research. Moreover, the study also revealed that approximately one-fourth of students currently using e-cigarettes reported using them on a daily basis, while nearly 90% opted for flavored e-cigarettes.

In the coming year of 2023, it is estimated that among middle and high school students, 2.8 million (10%) will report current tobacco product use. Furthermore, 2.13 million (7.7%) students will report current e-cigarette use. Following e-cigarettes, traditional cigarettes will be the next most prevalent with a reported usage of 1.6%. Cigar usage will also stand at 1.6%, followed by nicotine pouches (1.5%), smokeless tobacco (1.2%), other oral nicotine products (1.2%), hookah (1.1%), heated tobacco products (1.0%), and pipe smoking (0.5%).