Tobacco use trend shows slow decline for middle and high school students in Colorado

According to a newly released CDC report on the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey, tobacco use among middle and high school students shows a downward trend from 2000 to 2011 – from 34.4 percent to 23.2 percent for high school students and 14.9 percent to 7.1 percent for middle school. Compared to a decade ago, though, the rate of decline is much slower.

“Overall we’re headed in the right direction, and that’s the good news,” said Celeste Schoenthaler, tobacco program manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  “But part of the reason we’re not seeing a faster decline in tobacco use among youth here in Colorado is because kids can find a variety of tobacco products that are appealing and cheap. It’s not just cigarettes. Youth are using products like little cigars and smokeless tobacco products such as chew or snus.”

See full press release.