According to a report released on October 17th by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the latest data from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) shows that the number of middle and high school students using tobacco products in the United States has dropped to the lowest level in 25 years.
In the past year, at least 500,000 students have stopped using tobacco products. In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported using at least one tobacco product in the past 30 days, compared to 2.8 million in 2023. This decrease is primarily attributed to a significant decrease in the number of students reporting e-cigarette use, dropping from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024. Additionally, water pipe use has also significantly decreased in the past year, from 290,000 in 2023 to 190,000 in 2024. Cigarette smoking rates have hit an all-time low since the survey began, with only 1.4% of students reporting cigarette use in 2024.
Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, Director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that...
The teenage tobacco use rates have reached the lowest level in 25 years, which is a significant milestone for public health. However, there are still over 2 million teenagers using tobacco products, and the rates among certain groups have not decreased. Our work is not yet finished. We must continue to dedicate ourselves to public health efforts to ensure that all teenagers can lead healthy, smoke-free lives.
The CDC and FDA analyzed data from the NYTS to assess the use of nine tobacco products among middle and high school students in the United States. A detailed report released recently provides data on e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use, as well as details on tobacco product use broken down by school level, gender, and race/ethnicity. Despite a decrease in youth e-cigarette use to the lowest level in a decade, e-cigarettes still remain the most commonly used tobacco product among youth (5.9%), with nicotine pouches becoming the second most commonly used tobacco product among youth (1.8%), followed by cigarettes (1.4%), cigars (1.2%), smokeless tobacco (1.2%), other oral nicotine products (1.2%), heated tobacco products (0.8%), hookah (0.7%), and pipe tobacco (0.5%).
The report also found that progress varies among different demographic groups. For example, between 2023 and 2024, the use of any tobacco, e-cigarettes, and various tobacco products decreased among female and Hispanic students. However, during the same period, the use of any tobacco, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and various combustible tobacco products increased among American Indian or Alaska Native students, while nicotine pouch use increased among white students. There were no significant changes in cigarette, smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco product, and pipe use among all racial and ethnic groups assessed.
Director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, Brian King, stated that...
We are moving in the right direction towards reducing tobacco use among teenagers. However, we cannot relax and must remain vigilant in order to continue lowering the use of various tobacco products among young people. Addressing disparities remains an important part of ensuring that no one is left behind.
The FDA stated that the decline in tobacco product use may be attributed to multiple evidence-based strategies implemented at the national, state, and local levels. These strategies include raising prices, mass media campaigns to educate youth about the dangers of various tobacco products, and comprehensive smoke-free policies that include e-cigarettes. Additionally, the FDA continues to regulate the tobacco product market by conducting thorough market reviews and utilizing compliance and enforcement tools throughout the supply chain - including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers.
Click to view the original text of the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) report.
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