American teen tobacco use has fallen to a 25-year-low, in keeping with new information analyzed by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) and Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) that was launched on Thursday.
The usage of any tobacco product by U.S. center and highschool college students has dropped from 2.25 million in 2024 in comparison with 2.8 million final 12 months. The decline was attributed to a drop within the variety of college students utilizing e-cigarettes, hookah and smoking cigarettes. CDC stated inside this previous 12 months, over half of million fewer college students are utilizing tobacco merchandise.
The e-cigarette use has dropped from 2.13 million college students in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024. Hookah use is down too inside this demographic, dropping from 290,000 college students in 2023 to 190,000 this 12 months. The CDC famous that smoking cigarettes received to the bottom level, at 1.4 % amongst college students in 2024, ever captured within the survey.
“Reaching a 25-year low for youth tobacco product use is a rare milestone for public well being,” stated Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, CDC’s Workplace on Smoking and Well being. “Nonetheless, with greater than 2 million youth utilizing tobacco merchandise and sure teams not experiencing declines in use, our mission is much from full.”
Kittner added that “we should stay dedicated to public well being efforts to make sure all youth can stay wholesome, tobacco-free lives.”
The information confirmed that e-cigarettes have been nonetheless essentially the most generally used tobacco product at 5.9 %. This 12 months, nicotine pouches have been in second place at 1.8 %. Third was cigarettes at 1.4 %, adopted by cigars, at 1.2 %, smokeless tobacco at 1.2 %. Hookahs have been at 0.7 %, in keeping with the federal government’s information.
The usage of tobacco merchandise dropped amongst feminine college students within the final 12 months in addition to amongst Hispanic college students.
Some retailers have stopped promoting tobacco merchandise lately. Walmart stated in 2022 that it could finish promoting cigarettes in some shops. Cease & Store, a serious grocery chain, stated in late August this 12 months it could halt its gross sales of tobacco merchandise.
“We’re headed in the fitting course with regards to lowering tobacco product use amongst our nation’s youth,” stated Brian King, the director of the FDA’s Heart for Tobacco Merchandise. “However we won’t take our foot off the gasoline. Continued vigilance is required to proceed to scale back all types of tobacco product use amongst youth. Addressing disparities stays a vital a part of these efforts to make sure that we do not go away anybody behind.”
