Youth smoking declined significantly in 2012, and smoking rates fell to record lows for 8th, 10th and 12th graders, new research finds. The results mark the second year in a row that there's been a significant annual decline in youth smoking.
The survey is released annually by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
For all three grades combined, the percentage who said they smoked any cigarettes in the prior 30 days fell from about 12 percent in 2011 to 10.6 percent in 2012.
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From 2011 to 2012, smoking rates fell from 6.1 percent to 4.9 percent among 8th graders (a statistically significant decrease), from 11.8 percent to 10.8 percent among 10th graders, and from 18.7 percent to 17.1 percent among 12th graders. All three are record lows in the 38 years this survey has been conducted.
Longer-term declines are even more heartening. Since youth smoking peaked in the mid-1990s, smoking rates have fallen by about three-fourths among 8th graders, two-thirds among 10th graders and half among 12th graders. Among 12th graders, the smoking rate has declined from a peak of 36.5 percent in 1997 to 17.1 percent in 2012.
"This progress is a remarkable public health success story and will lead to a healthier future with fewer deaths, disease and medical costs caused by tobacco use, the nation's number one cause of preventable death," Susan Liss, executive director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.
She also said the survey results are "powerful evidence" that we know to win the fight against tobacco by implementing scientifically proven strategies. "These include higher tobacco taxes, well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs that include mass media campaigns, strong smoke-free laws, and effective regulation of tobacco products and marketing," she said.
The University of Michigan researchers who conducted the survey point to the large 2009 increase in the federal cigarette tax, a 62-cent per pack hike, as a likely key factor in the renewed smoking declines.
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