You might think that all the
warnings about tobacco use would sink in. In a lot of cases it has, but in too
many it hasn't happened.While the number of kids smoking cigarettes is down,
the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), co-conducted by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
finds, the number using other tobacco products is way up.
“This is the only nationally representative
survey of middle and high school students that focuses exclusively on tobacco
use,” says Benjamin J. Apelberg, Ph.D., branch chief of epidemiology at FDA’s
Center for Tobacco Products.Survey results provided a national snapshot of what
tobacco products today’s middle and high school youth are using, as well as
emerging trends over time.
Key findings
Here's what the survey
discovered:
In 2014, 1 in 4 high school students and 1 in 13 middle school students
reported being tobacco users (using one or more tobacco products in the
previous 30 days).
Of the then-current 4.6 million youth
tobacco users, 2.4 million reported using e-cigarettes.
Between 2011 and 2014, the percentage of
students reporting current use of cigarettes plunged from 15.8% to 9.2%.
Between 2011 and 2014, hookah use among
high school students doubled and e-cigarette use increased even more
dramatically.
In 2014, nearly 2.2 million students
reported using 2 or more tobacco products.
The rise of e-cigarettes
Since the survey started
collecting data on e-cigarettes in 2011, their current use surpassed current
use of every other tobacco product -- including conventional cigarettes -- for
the first time in 2014 .
“One thing the study confirms for
us is that the tobacco product landscape has changed dramatically,” Apelberg
says. “Middle and high school kids are using novel products like e-cigarettes
and hookahs in unprecedented numbers, and many are using more than one kind of
tobacco product.”
It’s something of a good news/bad
news picture, says FDA epidemiologist Catherine Corey. “While we’re glad to see
cigarette smoking decreasing in middle and high school youth, the increase in
the use of e-cigarettes and hookahs undermines progress in reducing tobacco use
among kids,” she says.
Nicotine's consequences
Nicotine is dangerous and highly
addictive for kids at any age, whether it comes from an e-cigarette, hookah,
cigarette or cigar. Because the brain is still developing, adolescence appears
to be a particularly vulnerable time.
Research has clearly demonstrated
that exposure to nicotine at a young age increases the chance that kids will
become addicted. In addition to nicotine exposure, tobacco use can be harmful
due to the numerous other chemicals present in tobacco products that can cause
disease.
“Youth should not use tobacco in
any form,” Apelberg says.
At this time, FDA has regulatory
authority over cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco and
smokeless tobacco. The agency is in the process of completing work on a rule
that would extend its authority to regulate additional products that meet the
legal definition of a tobacco product, such as electronic cigarettes, cigars
and hookahs. FDA is also proposing a minimum age of 18 for buying tobacco.
“These latest findings serve to
strengthen existing scientific evidence that novel tobacco products like
e-cigarettes and hookah have great appeal to youth, and that comprehensive
youth prevention efforts that focus on reducing all forms of tobacco use are
needed,” says Corey.
Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com
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