Youth Tobacco Use Prevention

Related Sites

• HWTF Tobacco Free Colleges Initiative

Teen Tobacco Use Rates

Almost 90% of adult smokers became addicted to tobacco products at or before age 20. The 2005 NC Youth Tobacco Survey found that 54.3% of high school students had ever smoked cigarettes at some point.

Each day in the US, more than 4,000 teens try their first cigarette and nearly half become regular, daily smokers. Of those, about half will eventually die from a smoking-related disease.

In recent years, North Carolina has recorded significant decreases in the use of tobacco by young people. North Carolina’s middle school smoking rate decreased by 61.3 percent between 1999 and 2005, dropping from a rate of 15.0 percent to 5.8 percent. Similarly, North Carolina’s high school smoking rate decreased by 35.8 percent between 1999 and 2005, dropping from a rate of 31.6 percent to 20.3 percent.

In real numbers, that decline amounts to 57,000 fewer kid smokers, and it means that 18,200 lives have been saved from a premature cigarette-induced death. It also significantly reduces health care costs to the state by approximately $1.3 billion.

• For additional information on teen tobacco use rates, visit the Research & Data section of our website.

Spit/Chew Tobacco

Spit tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking. There are many terms to describe spit tobacco, including smokeless, chewing tobacco, and snuff. The use of spit tobacco can cause cancer, heart disease and stroke.

• For more information on spit tobacco, visit the North Carolina Spit Tobacco Education Program (NC STEP) page.

CDC Prevention Recommendations

To prevent and reduce tobacco use among young people, The Guide to Community Preventive Services and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend policy and program interventions in the following areas:

• Increasing the unit price of tobacco products
• Conducting mass media campaigns combined with other interventions
• Promoting tobacco-free environments (e.g. school systems, community venues)
• Restricting minor’s access to tobacco products through community mobilization when combined with additional interventions

Training and technical assistance is provided to communities and school settings across the state to help support tobacco use prevention and cessation programs.