America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011

Regular Cigarette Smoking

Smoking has serious long-term consequences, including the risk of smoking-related diseases and premature death, as well as the increased health care costs associated with treating the illnesses.⁹³ One of every six deaths in the United States is a result of tobacco use, making tobacco more lethal than all other addictive drugs combined. Nearly 90 percent of smokers start smoking by age 18, and of smokers under 18 years of age, more than 6 million will die prematurely from a smokingrelated disease.⁹⁴ These consequences underscore the importance of studying patterns of smoking among adolescents.

Indicator Beh1: Percentage of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days by grade, 1980–2010

• Among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 2010, the percentages who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days were about a third to a half of the percentages for the same groups in the peak years of 1996 and 1997. The most dramatic declines were seen among the youngest students. In 2010, 3 percent of 8th-grade students, 7 percent of 10th-grade students, and 11 percent of 12th-grade students reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days, compared with their respective peaks of 10, 18, and 25 percent.
• Four percent of male and 2 percent of female 8th-grade students, 7 percent of male and 6 percent of female 10th-grade students, and 12 percent of male and 9 percent of female 12th-grade students reported daily smoking in 2010.
• In 2010, 14 percent of White, non-Hispanic 12th-grade students reported smoking cigarettes daily in the past 30 days, compared with 5 percent of Black, non-Hispanic and 6 percent of Hispanic 12th-grade students.

 BEH1 HTML Table