US FDA report: E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among teenagers for 11 consecutive years, with nicotine packs rising to second place

US FDA report: E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among teenagers for 11 consecutive years, with nicotine packs rising to second place

The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that tobacco use among middle and high school students in the United States has dropped to its lowest level in 25 years. Electronic cigarettes have remained the most commonly used tobacco product for 11 consecutive years (5.9%), with nicotine packs being the second choice (1.8%).
According to the official website of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 17th, the latest data released by the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) shows that the number of US middle and high school students using tobacco products has dropped to the lowest level in 25 years.

At least 500000 students have stopped using tobacco products in the past year. In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported using at least one tobacco product in the past 30 days, compared to 2.8 million in 2023. The decline is mainly attributed to a significant decrease in the number of students reporting the use of electronic cigarettes, from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024. In addition, the use of hookah has significantly decreased in the past year, from 290000 in 2023 to 190000 in 2024. The smoking rate of cigarettes has set a record low since the survey, with only 1.4% of students reporting using cigarettes in 2024.

Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, Director of the Office of Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that,

The lowest level of tobacco use among teenagers in 25 years is an important milestone for public health. However, there are still over 2 million teenagers using tobacco products, and the usage rate of certain groups has not decreased. Our task is not yet complete. We must continue to be committed to public health work to ensure that all teenagers can live a healthy and smoke-free life

The CDC and FDA analyzed data from NYTS to assess the use of nine tobacco products among American middle and high school students. The recently released detailed report provides data on the use of electronic cigarettes and nicotine bags, as well as details on tobacco product use by school stage, gender, and race and ethnicity. Despite the lowest usage of e-cigarettes among teenagers in a decade, e-cigarettes have remained the most commonly used tobacco product for 11 consecutive years (5.9%), with nicotine packs becoming the second most commonly used tobacco product among teenagers (1.8%), followed by cigarettes (1.4%), cigars (1.2%), smokeless tobacco (1.2%), other oral nicotine products (1.2%), heated tobacco products (0.8%), hookah (0.7%), and pipe tobacco (0.5%).

The report also found that the progress of different groups varies. For example, between 2023 and 2024, the use of any tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and multiple tobacco products by female and Hispanic students will decrease. However, during the same period, the use of any tobacco, e-cigarettes, oral nicotine, and various combustible tobacco products among Native American or Alaska Native students in the United States was on the rise, while the use of nicotine bags among white students increased. There were no significant changes in the use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco products, and pipe smoking among all racial and ethnic assessments.

Brian King, Director of the FDA Tobacco Products Center, stated that,

We are moving in the right direction to reduce tobacco use among young people. However, we cannot slack off and still need to remain vigilant to continue reducing the use of various tobacco products by young people. Addressing disparities remains an important part of ensuring that no one is left behind

The FDA stated that the decline in tobacco product use may be attributed to multiple evidence-based strategies implemented at the national, state, and local levels. These strategies include raising prices, large-scale media campaigns to educate young people about the dangers of various tobacco products, and a comprehensive smoking ban policy, including electronic cigarettes. In addition, the FDA continues to regulate the tobacco product market by conducting comprehensive market reviews and utilizing its compliance and enforcement tools throughout the entire supply chain, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers.