Teens and Tobacco Use Prevalence in North Carolina

The Facts

In 2003, North Carolina completed its largest survey ever on teen tobacco use. The results from the survey were also part of the National Youth Tobacco Survey, a national evaluation tool coordinated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 29 states every two years.

The NC Youth Tobacco Survey* (NCYTS) found that more North Carolina teens, especially those in high school, are using tobacco than previously thought. North Carolina youth are also using tobacco at either about the same or higher rates than the national average. For instance, more North Carolina high school students smoke and use smokeless tobacco at higher rates than in the United States as a whole. Middle-schoolers in NC use spit tobacco at a higher rate than their peers nationally and smoke at almost the same rate. For full data on tobacco use in North Carolina and the U.S., see the table below. The 2005 NCYTS, sponsored by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund and conducted by the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention & Control Branch, will be completed in fall 2005.

Tobacco Use Rates Among Students

Student Group	% who ever tried a tobacco product	% current smokers ¤	current user of smokeless tobacco ¤	% current smokers who want to quit
North Carolina
Middle School	37.6	9.3	4.5	47.6
High School	65.5	27.3	9.5	51.8
United States
Middle School	49.5	9.8	3.5	55.8
High School	49.5	22.5	5.9	55.8

(¤ defined as using tobacco one or more times in the past 30 days.)
Sources: North Carolina data comes from the North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey, 2003.
National data comes from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco Use, Access, and Exposure to Tobacco in Media Among Middle and High School Students; United States, 2004)

Data from the National YTS showed that tobacco use among middle and high school students did not decrease significantly between 2002 and 2004. These results are a great incentive for promoting programs like 100% TFS that encourage students to stop smoking or better yet, keep them from ever starting.

Other Prevalence Information:

• Almost half (47.6 percent) of North Carolina high school students live in homes where others smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke during childhood and adolescence can cause new cases of asthma, make existing asthma worse and lead to increased risk of lung cancer.
• About 4,000 American youth ages 12-17 try their first cigarette every day.

However, progress is being made. The 2003 NCYTS survey also found:

• Fewer middle school and high school students tried cigarettes in 2003 than in 2001 or 1999.
• Four out of five middle school students and two thirds of high school students feel it is important for their school to be 100% tobacco-free.

*2003 NCYTS survey data is based on answers provided by 6,334 middle and high school students from 200 randomly selected schools in North Carolina. For more detailed information about the 2003 NCYTS survey, click here.

High public support for 100% TFS

Changing tobacco use policy might be intimidating in a tobacco-producing state, but research shows an overwhelming majority of people in North Carolina, even smokers, support 100% Tobacco-Free Schools.

• 96.6% of parents support 100% Tobacco-Free Schools, according to a statewide phone survey conducted in 2005
• 98% of parents in the same survey supported additional actions to reduce tobacco use by North Carolina youth.
• UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students interviewed 632 spectators at football games at 10 different 100% TFS schools to ask them what they thought about the policy. Overall, 76% of interviewees said they supported 100% TFS, and 61.9% of smokers said they either agreed or had no opinion about the policy.
• For more information about implementing 100% TFS at football games, click here.

Rapid Progress

• More than half of N.C. school districts are now tobacco-free thanks to efforts of youth advocates like you.
• Most policy adoptions have occurred since 2003, with sharp increases every year..
  
• Schools all across the country are going tobacco-free.
  • 24.5% of states, 45.5% of districts and 44.6% of schools are tobacco-free in the United States. For more information, click here.
  • The following states have tobacco-free schools policies:
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Maryland
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • New Hampshire
    • New Mexico
    • New Jersey
    • Vermont
    • Washington

For more information about other states' policies click here.

Why Teachers and School Staff Should Support 100% Tobacco-Free Schools:

• A tobacco-free environment creates a safe and healthful workplace.
• Employees who are sensitive to smoke will not be exposed to it at work.
• A 2002 study found that adolescents who saw their teachers smoking at school were more likely to smoke themselves. A 100% TFS policy does not allow teachers to be a negative influence on underage smokers.
• A tobacco-free environment lowers the risk of fires on school grounds.
• The 100% TFS adoption process includes referrals to classes on how to quit to give teachers and staff who use tobacco the tools they need to quit.
• A smoke-free policy reduces tobacco consumption for those who are users. A 1994 study showed smokers who worked in a smoke-free environment reduced their intake by one pack a week. 
• People who work in schools value the health and well-being of children, and schools should be a safe place for children. Adopting a 100% TFS policy in schools reduces children's risk of secondhand smoke exposure and the likelihood that they will start using tobacco.