CDC Report on Teen Vaping, Smoking: 'A Lot of Good News'

Number of high schoolers who vape drops from 14% to 10%
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 2, 2023 2:09 PM CDT
CDC Report on Teen Vaping, Smoking: 'A Lot of Good News'
Varieties of disposable flavored electronic cigarette devices are displayed at a store in Pinecrest, Fla., in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Fewer high school students are vaping this year, the government reported Thursday. In a survey, 10% of high school students said they had used electronic cigarettes in the previous month, down from 14% last year. Use of any tobacco product—including cigarettes and cigars—also fell among high schoolers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. "A lot of good news, I'd say," said Kenneth Michael Cummings, a University of South Carolina researcher who was not involved in the CDC study.

Among middle school students, about 5% said they used e-cigarettes, roughly the same as last year. This year's survey involved more than 22,000 students who filled out an online questionnaire last spring. The agency considers the annual survey to be its best measure of youth smoking trends. Why the drop among high schoolers? Health officials believe a number of factors could be helping, including efforts to raise prices and limit sales to kids. Other key findings in the report:

  • Among students who currently use e-cigarettes, about a quarter said they use them every day.
  • About 1 in 10 middle and high school students said they recently had used a tobacco product. That translates to 2.8 million US kids.
  • E-cigarettes were the most commonly used kind of tobacco product, and disposable ones were the most popular with teens.
  • Nearly 90% of the students who vape used flavored products, with fruit and candy flavors topping the list.
(More vaping stories.)

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