A new CDC study, published November 11, 2022, found that close to 1 in 9 middle and high school students currently use tobacco products, accounting for an estimated 3.08 million students. For the ninth year in a row, e-cigarettes were the most popular product overall and cigars were the most commonly used form of combustible tobacco.
Tobacco use was highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native youth (13.5%), youth who are Lesbian, gay, or bisexual (16%) and Transgender youth (16.6%). It was also highest among those reporting: severe psychological distress (18.3%), low family affluence (12.5%) and low academic achievement (27.2%).
The authors singled out greater exposure to tobacco advertising and more stores selling tobacco, along with other social determinants of health, as possible risk factors.
