CDC Says Youth Tobacco Use No Longer Declining

Youth tobacco use rates dropped between 2000 and 2006, but have leveled off since then, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HealthDay reported Aug. 27.

CDC researchers analyzing data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey found that middle school students reporting some type of tobacco use (including smoking cigarettes) dropped from 15.1 percent in 2000 to 8.2 percent in 2009. Tobacco use by high school students dropped from 34.5 percent to 23.9 percent over the same period.   

However, declines between 2006 and 2009 weren't statistically significant, according to the researchers, and they recommended stronger efforts to prevent tobacco use by young people.

The report was published in the Aug. 27, 2010 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)