LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana teenagers are not using tobacco as much as they once were, a recent statewide survey found.
According to the 2022 Indiana Youth Tobacco survey, commercial tobacco use is the lowest measured in the past two decades, and e-cigarette usage is at the lowest since 2012.
The survey collected information from more than 5,000 students in grades six through 12. About one in 30 middle schoolers and one in 10 high-schoolers reported using tobacco in 2022.
NEWS RELEASE: Youth Tobacco Survey reports decline in commercial tobacco use, but concerns remainFewer Hoosier youth are using tobacco products, but the frequent use of e-cigarettes is higher than in previous years: https://t.co/6qlFidgzdT.Read more: https://t.co/PmRFfSUKY1. pic.twitter.com/XNws8PUiWL
— Indiana Department of Health (@StateHealthIN) June 27, 2023
The majority — 64.7% of middle schoolers and 74.5% of high schoolers — reported using flavored tobacco products.
“We are pleased to see that overall tobacco use is lower among Indiana youth, which is the same pattern being observed nationally,” State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver said in a news release Tuesday. “But it is concerning that the majority of students who use tobacco reported using flavored tobacco, including menthol. We know that flavors increase the appeal of tobacco products to youth, promote youth initiation, and can contribute to lifelong tobacco use.”
"Indiana has been vigilant about addressing youth tobacco use on many fronts, from schools and parents to local and state public health organizations,” Miranda Spitznagle, director of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation at the Indiana Department of Health, said in a news release Tuesday. “We hope these entities can continue working together to ensure all Hoosier youth have access to free services to help them quit and to all the same protections from commercial tobacco to make sure they never start.”
To view the survey's full findings, click here.
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