A new survey on tobacco use by young people shows the rate of decline continues to slow, a sign that more prevention efforts are needed, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The survey of tobacco use by middle-and-high school students, “reaffirms the need to return youth tobacco use trends to the more rapid rate of decline seen from the late 1990s through 2003,” the CDC said in a statement on 9 August.  “Tobacco use remains high among high school students.”
Almost 30 per cent of high school males and 18 per cent of females surveyed said they used some form of tobacco in 2011. The respective rates for middle schoolers were 8 per cent and 6 per cent.
When compared with studies such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the steep rate of decline from 1997 to 2003 has slowed noticeably, the CDC said. The center cited recommendations of the latest Surgeon Generals Report to raise the price of tobacco products and increase anti-smoking education in conjunction with new restrictions on the sale and marketing of tobacco products to youth. (ci)