Youth e-cigarette use hits 10-year low in US
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Key takeaways:
- E-cigarette use among middle and high school students in the U.S. has fallen to a 10-year low.
- The decline from 2023 to 2024 is equivalent to 500,000 fewer users.
E-cigarette use among middle and high school students in the United States dipped below 6% this year — the lowest level in a decade, according to federal data.
Although youth vaping has been on the decline for years, vapes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among young people, according to a new report by researchers from the CDC and FDA, which was published in MMWR.
The researchers analyzed responses from a web-based survey conducted earlier this year among nearly 30,000 students in grades 6 through 12 who reported whether they had vaped in the past 30 days, how frequently they vaped and what kind of products they were using.
In all, 5.9% of students reported current e-cigarette use, down from 7.8% in 2023, according to the report. The number of respondents who said they were vaping decreased by 500,000 from 2.13 million to 1.63 million.
The overall decline was driven by high schoolers, whose rate of vaping fell from 10% in 2023 to 7.8% in 2024. The rate of use among middle school students (3.5%) was not significantly different from 2023, the researchers said.
Just over a quarter of respondents who vaped reported daily use, and more than 38% reported frequent use. More than half reported using disposable vapes.
“The continued decline in e-cigarette use among our nation’s youth is a monumental public health win,” Brian King, PhD, MPH, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a press release. “This progress is a testament to the relentless efforts by the FDA, CDC and others, particularly over the past half decade. But we can’t rest on our laurels, as there’s still more work to do to further reduce youth e-cigarette use.”
The researchers said they did not see a significant change in the use of nicotine pouches among students despite rising sales in the U.S. Less than 2% of respondents reported use of nicotine pouches, including 2.4% of high schoolers and 1% of middle schoolers. Zyn was the most popular brand used.
“Continued surveillance of youth tobacco product use patterns and implementation of comprehensive tobacco control strategies, regulations and enforcement are important for preventing and reducing tobacco product use by youths and associated adverse health outcomes, including a potential lifetime of nicotine addiction,” the researchers wrote.
References:
- Park-Lee E, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7335a3.
- Youth e-cigarette use drops to lowest level in a decade. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/youth-e-cigarette-use-drops-lowest-level-decade. Published Sept. 5, 2024. Accessed Sept. 6, 2024.
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