According to the 2024 National Youth Cigarette Survey, cigarette use among middle and high school students in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years. Vapes remained the most commonly used cigarette commodity (5.9%), and tobacco tar bags were the second choice (1.8%).
Vapes most commonly used tobacco product among teens for the 11th year in a row
According to the news released on the official website of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 17, the 2024 National Youth Cigarette Survey (NYTS), according to newly released data, the number of middle and high school students using cigarette products in the United States has dropped to the lowest level in 25 years.
In the past year, at least half a million students have stopped using cigarette products. In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported using at least one cigarette product in the past 30 days, compared to 2.8 million in 2023. This decrease was largely due to a significant decrease in the number of students who reported using vapes, from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024. In addition, the use of hookah has also decreased significantly in the past year, from 290,000 in 2023 to 190,000 in 2024. Tobacco smoking rates set a record low in the survey, with only 1.4% of students reporting in 2024.
Nicotine bag rises to second
Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said:
- “Teen cigarette use is at its lowest level in 25 years, which is an important milestone for public health. However, with more than 2 million teens still using cigarette products and some not seeing a decline in utilization, our job is not done. We should continue to work on public health to ensure that all adolescents can live healthy smoke-free lives.”
The CDC and FDA analyzed NYTS data to assess the use of nine cigarette products among middle and high school students in the United States. The recently released detailed report provides data on the use of vapes and tobacco tar bags, as well as detailed information on cigarette products differentiated by school stage, gender, race, and group. Although teen vape use has dropped to a 10-year low, vapes remain the most commonly used cigarette product (5.9%) for 11 years. Tobacco tar bags have become the second most commonly used cigarette product among adolescents (1.8 percent), followed by tobacco (1.4 percent), cigars (1.2 percent), smokeless tobacco (1.2 percent), other oral tobacco tar products (1.2 percent), heated cigarette commodities (0.8 percent), water pipes (0.7 percent) and pipe cigarettes (0.5 percent).
The report also found that progress was different among different groups. For example, from 2023 to 2024, there was a decrease in the use of cigarettes, vaping, and various cigarette products by both female and Spanish students. However, the use of any cigarette, vape, oral cigarette tar, and various combustible cigarette products increased among Indian or Alaska Native students during the same period, as did the use of cigarette tar bags by white students. There was no significant change in the use of tobacco, smokeless cigarettes, heated cigarette products, and pipes across all racial and group assessments.
Brian King, director of cigarette product presentation at the FDA, said:
- “We are moving in the right direction to reduce youth cigarette use. But we can’t slack off. We still need to be vigilant to continue to reduce youth use of various cigarette products. Dealing with differences remains an important part of making sure no one is left behind.”
The FDA said the reduction in the use of cigarette products could stem from some evidence-based strategies implemented by Chinese, state, and local governments. These strategies include higher prices and massive media campaigns to educate youth about the dangers of various cigarette products, as well as comprehensive no-smoking policies that include vapes. In addition, the FDA continues to use its compliance and enforcement tools throughout the supply chain, including manufacturers, buyers, distributors, and retailers, to conduct comprehensive market reviews to control the market for cigarette products.
The original 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) report can be viewed by clicking on it.
