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Bidi Use Among Urban Youth — Massachusetts,
March-April, 1999

September 17, 1999 / Vol. 48 / No. 36


The Friday, September 17, 1999, issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), contains a report entitled, "Bidi Use Among Urban Youth — Massachusetts, March-April 1999." The study found that of the 642 Massachusetts urban youth surveyed, 40 percent reported smoking bidis in their lifetime, 16 percent reported smoking bidis at least once in the past 30 days, and 8 percent smoked 100 or more bidis in their lifetime. Bidis are small brown cigarettes, often flavored, consisting of tobacco hand-rolled in tendu or temburni leaf and tied with a string at one end. They are produced in India and some southeast Asian countries, and imported to the United States.

Other facts cited in the study:

  • Nearly one of five male students (19 percent) and one of 10 female students (12 percent) reported using bidis at least once during the past month.
  • Current past-month use of bidis by race/ethnicity was 21 percent for Hispanic students compared to 14 percent for African American and 11 percent for white students.
  • When asked why they used bidis instead of cigarettes, responses included the following: 23 percent smoked bidis because of "taste," 18 percent reported that bidis are "cheaper," 13 percent of students felt that bidis are "safer" than cigarettes, and 12 percent felt that they are "easier to buy" compared to cigarettes.

Bidi Use Among Urban Youth—Massachusetts, March-April 1999 48(36) September 17, 1999
(PDF LogoPDF-317K)

Bidi Use Among Urban Youth—Massachusetts, March-April 1999MMWR Highlights


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This page last reviewed January 23, 2002

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