Teens Are Smoking Less – New Study

We've been trying for years to get people to quit smoking. The younger generation though is finally starting to get the message. There is some good news on the smoking front!

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, says that fewer American teens and young adults are smoking cigarettes than in 2004.

This new report has data collected between 2004 and 2010 as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nearly 158,000 people were interviewed. All of them between the ages of 12 and 17. Also interviewed were and 159,000 men and women between the ages of 18 to 25.

• The younger group number who smoked every day fell from 3.3% in 2004 to 1.9% in 2010.
• Young people in the 18 to 25 years old group were down from 20.4% in 2004 to 15.8% in 2010.
• Young smokers between 12 and 17 who smoke five or fewer cigarettes a day grew from nearly 37% in 2004 to almost 43% in 2010.
• The largest group of daily smokers between the ages of 18 to 25 who smoked between six and 15 cigarettes a day slightly increased from about 41% in 2004 to roughly 44% in 2010.
• There was nearly a 3% decrease in young adults who smoked 26 or more cigarettes a day.

The downward trend in tobacco use could be the result of anti-smoking laws, cost of cigarettes, tax increases, and tougher laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors.

[WebMD]