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Study shows fewer and fewer adolescents are smoking in Utah

Posted at 3:45 PM, Nov 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-26 21:46:21-05

(KSTU) — A study released by the Utah Public Health Indicator Based Information System (IBIS) shows that fewer and fewer adolescents in Utah have taken up smoking.

The study, which has tracked the rates of cigarette smoking by sex from 1991-2013, then in 2017, said that Utah’s high school smoking rate declined from 17.0 percent to 3.8 percent.

“Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States,” IBIS said. “Children and adolescents who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk for developing respiratory illnesses, impaired lung growth, cancer, heart disease, and weakened immune systems.”

IBIS said that Utah’s teen smoking rate almost doubled from the 1980s to the 1990s.

Since then, the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program in Utah has tried to prevent youth tobacco use through a variety of programs and initiatives.

The programs include awareness campaigns, prevention activities and tobacco cessation programs tailored to teens.

It was unclear how the use of vaporizers and e-cigarettes relates to the declined rates of cigarette smoking by teens. IBIS stated that in 2017, more than 25 percent of students in 10th grade reported experimenting with vapes, while over 10 percent reported that they use vape products regularly.

To view the cigarette smoking statistics among Utah’s adolescents, click here.

For information and resources that can help with quitting tobacco use, click here.