Tobacco Use and United States Students
What is the problem?
The 2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that among U.S. high school students:
Sexual Risk Behaviors
- 39.5% ever had sexual intercourse.
- 3.4% had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years.
- 9.7% had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their life.
- 28.7% were currently sexually active. 1
- 46.2% did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse. 2
- 9.3% were ever tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 3
Alcohol and Other Drug Use
- 18.8% drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse. 2
- 1.5% ever injected any illegal drug. 4
What are the solutions?
- Better health education
- More comprehensive health services
- More supportive environments
What is the status?
The School Health Policies and Practices Study 2014 indicates that among U.S. high schools:
Health Education
- 85% required students to receive instruction on tobacco-use prevention.
- 61% provided students with the opportunity to practice communication, decision-making, goal-setting, or refusal skills related to tobacco use prevention in a required health education course.
Family and Community Involvement
- 27% had a school health council that addressed tobacco-use prevention.
- 14% involved students’ families and 23% involved community members in the development, communication, and implementation of policies or activities related to tobacco-use prevention.
- 25% had or participated in a youth empowerment or advocacy program related to tobacco-use prevention.
School Environment
- 74% prohibited all tobacco use in all locations. 4
- 90% prohibited all tobacco advertising. 5
- 72% posted signs marking a tobacco-free school zone.
Health Services
- 44% provided tobacco-use prevention services at school in one-on-one or small-group sessions.
- 31% provided tobacco-use prevention services to students through arrangements with providers not located on school property.
- 39% provided tobacco-use cessation services at school.
- 22% provided tobacco-use cessation services to students through arrangements with providers not located on school property.
- Even one or two puffs.
- Not counting any electronic vapor products.
- Including e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, vape pipes, vaping pens, e-hookahs, and hookah pens.>
- Prohibited all tobacco use by students, faculty and school staff, and visitors; in school buildings, outside on school grounds (including parking lots and playing fields), on school buses or other vehicles used to transport students, and at off-campus, school-sponsored events.
- Prohibited tobacco advertising in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses or other vehicles, at off-campus, school-sponsored events, and through sponsorship of school events, and prohibited students from wearing tobacco brand name apparel or carrying merchandise with tobacco company names, logos, or cartoon characters.
Page last reviewed: March 1, 2019