A new report says fewer adolescents are smoking cigarettes.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration report compares ten years of data from national surveys on drug use. It found that in 2012-13, 6.7 percent of Nebraska adolescents reported smoking cigarettes in the past month, compared with 16 percent in 2003.
Dr. Peter Delany, Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, says states have played a significant role in the declining rates.
“There’s been cigarette taxation laws, a restriction of smoking in public places, and a real crackdown on the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors. I also want to say that there’s been a lot of work in smoking prevention and smoking cessation programs, including for adolescents.”
But the report also found that the use of e-cigarettes has risen sharply among the same age group as the use of traditional products has declined. Delany says there isn’t yet enough data available on e-cigarettes to understand why that’s happening.
According to the report, 65 percent of adolescents understand there’s a great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes a day. Delany credits public awareness campaigns that targeted youth.
In Iowa, the percent of 12 to 17 year olds who smoke cigarettes dropped from 14 percent in 2003 to 7 percent in 2013.
The report on underage smoking is available at www.samhsa.gov.