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Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—Florida, 1998 and 1999
MMWR Highlights
April 2, 1999 / Vol. 48 / No. 12
- The Florida Youth Tobacco Survey estimates
that past-month smoking rates declined significantly between 1998 and 1999 in Florida
among middle school students (from 18.5 percent to 15.0 percent) and high school students
(from 27.4 percent to 25.2 percent). The decline of teen smoking in Florida between 1998
and 1999 is the largest annual reported decline observed in this nation since 1980.
- The decline in current cigarette smoking
prevalence was most substantial among middle school male (18.9 percent to 15.0 percent),
middle school female (18.1 percent to 14.9 percent), and high school female (28.3 percent
to 25.9 percent) students, while less substantial among high school male students (26.5
percent to 24.6 percent) from 1998 to 1999.
- The decrease in current smoking was more
pronounced among non-Hispanic white middle school (22.0 percent to 16.1 percent) and high
school (34.8 percent to 31.3 percent) students compared to African American middle school
(9.5 percent to 8.5 percent) and high school (9.8 percent to 9.4 percent) and Hispanic
middle school ( 16.8 percent to 16.1 percent) and high school (24.8 percent to 24.2
percent) students.
- Cigar use among middle school students
declined sharply from 14.1 percent in 1998 to 11.9 percent in 1999. The reduction in cigar
use among middle school students was mainly due to the decline among males (from 17.6
percent to 14.2 percent). Cigar use remained virtually unchanged for high school students
at 20.7 percent in 1998 and 19.5 percent in 1999. Cigar use was highest among high school
male students, with about one in four males (27.0 percent in 1998 and 24.7 percent in
1999) using cigars in the past month during both survey periods.
- Current smokeless tobacco use dropped
significantly among middle school students, from 6.9 percent in 1998 to 4.9 percent in
1999. Among high school students smokeless tobacco use remained steady (6.7 percent in
1998 versus 6.4 percent in 1999).
- Smokeless tobacco increased among Hispanic
high school students from 2.9 percent to 4.4 percent, while decreasing for Hispanic middle
school (5.5 percent to 3.6 percent), non-Hispanic white middle school (7.6 percent to 4.8
percent) and high school (8.7 percent to 8.0 percent), and African American middle school
(5.3 percent to 4.4 percent) and high school (3.5 percent to 2.8 percent) students.
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