November 5, 2007
Little
Rock - While national smoking rates for high school kids have stopped declining, Arkansas’s rate has hit an historic low, according to a new study by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The Youth Tobacco Study (YTS) released today shows that between 2000 and 2007, the rate of current cigarette smoking dropped from 35.8 to 20.4 percent among Arkansas’s high school students, cutting the rate almost in half. Current smoking is defined as smoking on one or more days of the thirty days preceding the survey.
The YTS was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998 to measure the tobacco-related beliefs, attitudes and behavior of youth, and the pro- and anti-tobacco influences to which they are exposed. In 1999, baseline National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data was conducted, with the first formal data collection occurring in the spring of 2000. The 2000 NYTS was administered to 35,828 middle and high school students across the country. The study uses scientifically designed samples and anonymous written questionnaires to achieve its results. Arkansas has participated in the program with a Youth Tobacco Survey since 1999. The survey is conducted in Arkansas through a collaborative effort by ADH and the Arkansas Department of Education.
The YTS shows that current smoking among high school students in Arkansas showed a continued drop from 26.3 percent in 2005 to 20.4 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, according to statistics developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), there has been no statistically significant difference in youth smoking between 2003 and 2005 at the national level in lifetime, current, or current frequent cigarette use.1
In 2007, an estimated 27,906 high school students in Arkansas were current cigarettes smokers, as compared to 34,223 smokers in 2005, indicating that 6,317 fewer high school students are current smokers than in 2005.
Paul Halverson, DrPH, State Health Director said that the results will mean big benefits to the state for many years to come. “We think this is the best kind of news we can have in public health, since smoking is linked to most of the top ten causes of death in our state---especially to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lung disease,” Halverson said. “What this means is that these kids are not likely ever to become addicted to tobacco, since 90% of all smokers become addicted before the age of eighteen. That’s good news for the future cost of our healthcare.” The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (http://tobaccofreekids.org/ ) estimates the current annual health care cost directly caused by smoking in Arkansas is more than $812 million.
Frequent smoking, defined as smoking on 20 or more of the 30 days preceding the survey, is a better indicator of youth addiction to tobacco than “current smoking.” The new survey shows that between 2000 and 2007, the rate of frequent cigarette smoking dropped from 21.0% to 8.9% among Arkansas high schools students, a significant drop of almost two-thirds.
Jennifer Dillaha, MD, Director of the Center for Health Advancement at ADH says that the reason for the decline in youth smoking in Arkansas may be found in the comprehensive program Arkansas has adopted and systematically put into place since the voters of Arkansas adopted ACT One in 2001. Arkansas adopted a “best practices” program in tobacco control and prevention and has been building strong programs in all the key areas that are recommended by the CDC since 2002. Youth Tobacco Survey results in states that don’t have tobacco programs show rates that are relatively unchanged or even increasing.
“We’ve been saying for years now that real behavior change takes time to happen, but these results mean that our work is paying off,” Dillaha said. “It’s just great news for us in our fight against the leading cause of preventable death in Arkansas today.”
The CDC-recommended comprehensive statewide tobacco control program combines and coordinates community-based interventions that focus on
1) preventing initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults,
2) promoting quitting among adults and youth,
3) eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, and
4) identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities among population groups.
Decreasing illegal sales of tobacco products to minors is an important part of preventing smoking initiation by youth. Results released last month by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA) showed that Arkansas leads the nation with the lowest percentage of retailers selling tobacco to underage youth during unannounced inspections (2.2 percent).
For more information on Arkansas tobacco prevention programs, or for information on how to quit smoking, visit www.stampoutsmoking.com , and for information on the National Youth Tobacco Survey, go to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/
surveys/NYTS/index.htm .
1. Office on Smoking and Health, Div of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC., “Cigarette Use Among High School Students --- United States, 1991—2005.”
###
|
