Smoking & Young Adults
The graph below, from today's MMWR shows that over the years, despite all our efforts, the never smoking rate for yougf adults has only increased 4%. While this is slow we need to keep plugging away.
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The graph below, from today's MMWR shows that over the years, despite all our efforts, the never smoking rate for yougf adults has only increased 4%. While this is slow we need to keep plugging away.
Comments
Smoking prevalence among young adults increased in the mid to late 1990s. Depending on how smoking or tobacco use were defined, prevalance in 1996/1997 was similar to what it was fifteen years earlier in 1981/1982. The following are trends data from the Monitoring the Future Study of the University of Michigan.
Among 12th graders...
Lifetime ever used: 1975=73.6% vs. 2004=52.8%
Smoked in last 30 days: 1975=36.7% vs. 2004=25.0%
Smoke daily: 1975=26.9% vs. 2004=15.6%
Smoke 1/2pack or more per day: 1975=17.9% vs. 2004=8.0%
Further, looking at data from a comparable time period to the graphic you posted (1998-2004), the prevalence of ever smoking has decreased dramatically for 8th (17.8% decrease) and 10th graders (17%). The decrease in ever smoking among 12th graders during this same time period was 12.5%.
Approximately 80% of smokers actually initiate tobacco use before 18 years age (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1994). Therefore, targeting intervention efforts to limit iniation among younger age groups is crucial.
Posted by: Resa | November 15, 2005 3:31 PM