Trends in Cigarette Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Data published in the April 2013 installment of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, published by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shows trends in adolescent and young adult cigarette use from 2004 to 2010. The report shows the following:

• The percentages of adolescents aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25 reporting past month cigarette use decreased from 2004 to 2010; the percentages were similar in 2008 and 2009 but decreased between 2008 and 2010 (from 9.1 to 8.3 percent for those aged 12 to 17 and from 35.7 to 34.2 percent for those aged 18 to 25)
• The percentage of adolescents who smoked daily in the past month decreased from 3.3 percent in 2004 to 2.0 percent in 2008, then remained relatively stable; the percentage of young adults who smoked daily decreased from 20.4 percent in 2004 to 17.2 percent in 2008, then declined further between 2008 and 2010 to 15.8 percent
• Between 2004 and 2008, the percentage of daily smokers aged 18 to 25 who smoked 26 or more cigarettes per day (about one and a half packs or more) remained relatively stable at about 5 to 6 percent; from 2008 to 2010, this percentage decreased from 6.0 to 3.4 percent
• About 25 percent of daily smokers aged 18 to 25 smoked 5 or fewer cigarettes per day between 2004 and 2008; from 2008 to 2010, this percentage increased from 24.7 to 28.6 percent

(Brief taken from report)