Not so fast! Smoking is no longer declining among young people--very bad news!
foxnews.com
Teen Smoking No Longer Declining
Friday, April 01, 2005
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Tobacco use is no longer decreasing among middle and high school students, underscoring the need to fully implement smoking-prevention measures targeting youths, the federal government reported Thursday.
After years of declining tobacco use among children starting in the late 1990s, new data indicates use of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products among students in grades 6 to 12 has not changed in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
More than one out of five high school students (22.3 percent) and one out of 12 middle school students (8.1 percent) said they were cigarette smokers in a national survey of 31,774 students conducted last year by the CDC.
When including the use of any form of tobacco, the rates climbed to 28 percent among high schoolers and 11.7 percent among middle schoolers.
The rates were about the same as those in a similar 2002 survey, the CDC said.
The report disappointed tobacco opponents and health advocates.
"It says the significant progress that we've made as a nation in reducing youth smoking has stalled," said Bill Corr, executive director of Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids (search).
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