America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007
Regular Cigarette Smoking
Smoking has serious long-term consequences, including the risk of smoking-related diseases and the risk of premature death, as well as increased health care costs associated with treating the illnesses. 92 Many adults who are currently addicted to tobacco began smoking as adolescents, and it is estimated that more than 5 million of today's underage smokers will die of tobacco-related illnesses. 93 These consequences underscore the importance of studying patterns of smoking among adolescents.
Indicator BEH1: Percentage of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the previous 30 days by grade, 1980-2006
SOURCE: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Monitoring the Future Survey.
- Among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders in 2006, the percentage who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days was about half the percentage for the same groups in 1995. In 2006, 4 percent of 8th-graders, 8 percent of 10th-graders, and 12 percent of 12th-graders reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days, compared with the respective 1995 percentages of 9, 16, and 22.
- The percentage of students who reported smoking cigarettes daily was 4 for both male and female 8th-graders and 12 for both male and female 12th-graders. Seven percent of male and 8 percent of female 10th-graders reported daily smoking.
- Fifteen percent of 12th-grade White, non–Hispanic students reporting smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days, compared with 6 percent of Black, non-Hispanic and 7 percent of Hispanic 12th-graders.
92 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2004) The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (Stock Number 0–16–051576–2). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
93 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996). Projected smoking-related deaths among youth-United States. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 45 (44), 971–974.