Tobacco consumption among U.S. adolescents has seen significant decline in 25 years as per new federal data published on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Using the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration researched and analyzed that the usage of the product has fallen among the middle and high school students, reported ABC News.
The director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, Dr. Dierdre Lawrence Kittner, in his statement, said, "Reaching a 25-year low for youth tobacco product use is an extraordinary milestone for public health.”
He continued, "However, with more than 2 million youth using tobacco products and certain groups not experiencing declines in use, our mission is far from complete. We must remain committed to public health efforts to ensure all youth can live healthy, tobacco-free lives."
It was reported that between 2023 and 2024, the rate of decline was dropped from 2.80 million students to 2.25 million, which mainly involved the usage of e-cigarette.
About 2.13 million students reportedly used e-cigarettes in 2023, which has now dropped to 1.63 million in 2024. Meanwhile, consumption among high schoolers in particular has fallen from 1.56 million to 1.21 million.
According to the report, these statistics mark the lowest ever recorded by the National Youth Tobacco Survey.
It has also been found that after e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches stand at second as the most commonly used tobacco products, followed by cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco, respectively.
