November 3, 2023 – More than half 1,000,000 highschool students quit smoking last 12 months. This is based on recent government data, which also shows that e-cigarette use amongst middle school students stays stable.
In the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey10% of highschool students reported using e-cigarettes, up from 14% in 2022. Of middle school students, 4.6% reported they’re currently using e-cigarettes. Approximately one in 4 teens who use e-cigarettes reported doing so each day.
The CDC and FDA annual survey collects responses from a nationally representative sample of personal and public school students in Year 6Th until 12Th Grades. The 2023 survey surveyed 22,069 students from 179 schools about nine several types of tobacco products.
Overall, one in 10 middle and highschool students reported current use of a tobacco product, which the researchers defined as use previously 30 days.
Despite the encouraging decline in e-cigarette use amongst highschool students, health officials found that nearly all of teens who smoke reported doing so at the very least six days a month.
“These results are concerning because adolescents reported symptoms of nicotine dependence when they used tobacco products only one to three days per month,” the authors wrote.
Disposable e-cigarettes are the most well-liked type, which is related to increasing market shares amongst disposable products, the authors noted. They also said, “They are relatively inexpensive, have high nicotine content, and come in flavors attractive to youth (e.g., fruit and candy).”
In 2020 the FDA Flavorings from reusable e-cigarettes, akin to those made by JUUL, were banned, however the ban didn’t extend to disposable e-cigarettes. Disposables akin to Elf Bar and Esco Bars are actually the popular brands amongst youth, based on 2023 survey responses. About 9 in 10 teen e-cigarette users reported vaping flavored products.
E-cigarettes heat a liquid, which often comprises nicotine and other additives, into an aerosol that the user inhales. Nicotine in e-cigarettes is addictive, similar to nicotine in regular cigarettes. The flavorings in e-cigarettes have been linked to serious lung disease. According to the US Surgeon General's website, e-cigarettes are considered harmful to the developing brain, just as smoking while pregnant can harm an unborn child Know the risks.