Bureau of Tobacco Control
StatShot Vol. 6, No. 2/Feb. 2013
Trends in Smoking Prevalence among New York Youth
The vast majority of adult smokers begin smoking when they are teens. Therefore,
reducing the rate of youth smoking by changing the social norms and social context to
make smoking less desirable, acceptable, and accessible is a key outcome of the Bureau of
Tobacco Control. Youth smoking rates are monitored using the biennial New York Youth
Tobacco Survey. The standard definition of youth smoking is smoking a cigarette on one
or more days in the past 30 days. Youth smokers are at risk for becoming adult smokers
with the associated smoking-related disease and death.
• Smoking rates among high school students in 2012 are down to 11.9%, the lowest in
NY since health officials began keeping track in 1997. That’s equivalent to 107,000
high school students in NY continuing to smoke at least one day in the past 30 days.
• Overall trend in high school youth smoking is down from 2000 to 2012 by 56%, a
significant decline. The trend for middle school youth declined by 70% during the
same time period, also statistically significant.
• The reduction from 2010 to 2012 is not significant for either middle or high school.
DOH will continue to monitor smoking rates among New York youth.
Trends in smoking prevalence among middle and high school students in New York
State,
50 2000-2012.
Smoking Prevalence Percent
45
40
35
30
27.1
25
20.4
20
15
18.5
16.3
14.6
10.2
10
12.6
11.9
6.1
5.1
4.0
3.4
3.2
3.1
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
5
0
2000
High School
Middle School
Source: New York Youth Tobacco Survey 2000 - 2012
Contact the Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research, New York State Department of Health at (518) 473-0673 or type
‘StatShot’ in the subject line of an e-mail and send it to [email protected].