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Trends in Cigarette Smoking
Among High School Students — United States
1991 - 1999
MMWR Highlights
August 25, 2000 / Vol. 49 / No. 33
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Current
smoking rates among U.S. high school students may have leveled or begun
to decline following years of increased rates. The findings of the study
show that current smoking among 9th through 12th grade students went
from 34.8% in 1995 to 36.4% in 1997, and down to
34.8%
in
1999.
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The rate
of smoking among male high school students appears to be leveling or
possibly declining but the smoking rate among female high school
students remains virtually unchanged.
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Smoking rates
for high school males were 35.4% in 1995, 37.7% in 1997, and
to 34.7% in 1999.
Smoking rates for high school females were 34.3% in 1995, 34.7% in 1997, and
34.9% in 1999.
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In 1991,
white students (30.9%) were 2.5 times more likely than black students
(12.6%) and 1.2 times more likely than Hispanic students (25.3%) to
report current smoking. Similar trends were found in 1999, when white
students (38.6%) were twice as likely to smoke as African-American
students (19.7%) and were 1.2 times more likely to report current
smoking as Hispanic students (32.7%).
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Smoking
rates among black students appeared to level or possibly decline later
in the decade (19.2% in 1995; 22.7% in 1997; and 19.7% in 1999). Among
black male students the leveling or possible decline in smoking was
particularly notable (27.8% in 1995; 28.2% in 1997; and 21.8% in 1999).
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Ninth
grade students experienced a leveling or possible decline in smoking
rates later in the decade (31.2% in 1995; 33.4% in 1997; and 27.6% in
1999). In comparison, current smoking among
12th
grade students continued
to rise each year.
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According
to the U.S. Surgeon
General's Report on Reducing Tobacco Use,
implementing effective educational programs for preventing tobacco use
could postpone or prevent smoking onset in 20% to 40% of U.S.
adolescents.
-
Existing
data suggest that evidence-based curricula and national guidelines have
not been widely adopted. Less than 5% of schools nationwide are
implementing the major components of
CDC's Guidelines for School
Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction.
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Smoking
rates among teens could be cut in half within the decade, meeting the
Healthy People 2010 objectives related to youth tobacco use, if the
nation would fully implement
antismoking approaches proven to be
effective.
Trends
in Cigarette Smoking among High School Students — United Sates 1991-1999
49(33):29, August 25, 2000 ( PDF–238K)
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