PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Smoking Among Adolescents
Why Is This Important?
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Children and adolescents who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk for developing respiratory illnesses, impaired lung growth, cancer, heart disease, and weakened immune systems. One third of adolescents who continue to use tobacco will die from tobacco-related diseases. In addition, youth smokers are less physically fit and less likely to be committed to their education than their nonsmoking peers. Since nearly all adult smokers begin smoking during adolescence, preventing youth from starting to use tobacco products is expected to result in substantial declines in tobacco-related disease and death.Current Cigarette Smoking by Year, High School Students Grades 9-12, Utah and U.S., 1991-2011
Data Sources
Utah Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Utah Department of Health. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Data Notes
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is conducted with a representative sample of Utah public high school students in grades 9 to 12.Surveys were only conducted in odd numbered years.How Are We Doing?
Utah teen smoking almost doubled from the mid-80s to the mid-90s (Bahr Survey, 1984-1997). Since the mid-90s, Utah's high school smoking rate declined from 17% to 6%.What Is Being Done?
The Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at the Utah Department of Health and its partners work toward reducing youth tobacco use through a variety of programs and initiatives.These programs include The TRUTH anti-tobacco marketing campaign, school- and community-based prevention activities, tobacco cessation programs tailored to teens, and efforts to strengthen tobacco-free norms and protect children and nonsmokers from secondhand smoke through expanded tobacco-free policies.
The TRUTH campaign uses television, radio, billboard, and print media as well as web-based advertising to reach mainstream and high risk youth with anti-tobacco messages. The campaign's goals are to counter tobacco industry advertising, inform Utahns about quitting services, and reinforce and support local tobacco control initiatives. Quitting services available to Utah teens include a toll-free Tobacco Quit Line tailored to teens (1-800-QUIT-NOW), a web-based quitting service (utahquitnet.com), and group-based quitting classes. Efforts to strengthen tobacco-free policies focus on schools, multi-unit housing, and outdoor venues frequented by children and adolescents.
Healthy People Objective TU-2.2:
Reduce tobacco use by adolescents: Cigarettes (past month)U.S. Target: 16.0 percent
State Target: 5.0 percent
