Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)

Youth Tobacco Surveillance—United States, 2000

November 02, 2001 / Vol. 50 / No. SS–04

MMWR Highlights

• 34.5% of high school students currently use some form of tobacco.
• 15.1% of middle school students use some form of tobacco.
• Cigarettes are the most used tobacco product followed by cigars and smokeless tobacco.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke is very high among both middle school and high school students. During the week before the survey, approximately 9 of 10 current smokers and half of those who had never smoked were in the same room with someone who was smoking.
• 8 of 10 current smokers and 3 of 10 of those who had never smoked rode in a car with someone who was smoking.
• Approximately 70% of middle school and 57% of high school students who currently smoke live in a home where smokes cigarettes.
• Approximately 69% of middle school and 58% of high school students under the age of 18 who currently smoke were not asked to show proof of age when they bought or tried to buy cigarettes.
• Approximately half of current smokers in middle school and high school report that they usually smoke Marlboro^® cigarettes. Black students are more likely to smoke Newport ® cigarettes that any other brand.
• Among middle school students, male students (17.6%) were significantly more likely than female students (12.7%) to use tobacco. Among high school students, the gap between boys and girls widens with 39.1% of males and 29.8% of females using tobacco.
• Among middle school students, white (14.3%), black (17.5 %) and Hispanic (16.0%) students were significantly more likely than Asian (7.5%) students to use a tobacco product. Among high school students, whites (38.0%) were significantly more likely than blacks (26.5%), Hispanics (28.4%) or Asians (22.9%) students to currently use tobacco.
• Approximately 11% of middle school and 16% of high school students who had never used tobacco would wear something with a tobacco company name or picture on it. This rate increases to nearly 60% for current tobacco users.