Results from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey released this week show the number who use e-cigarettes is up 50 percent since 2014, and overall youth tobacco use has increased.
More than 26 percent of high school students report using some form of tobacco or nicotine, up from 24.6 percent in 2014. The rapid increase of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices has reversed a long-term trend of declining teen tobacco use in Minnesota.
The new data shows one in five, or 20 percent, of high school students use e-cigarettes. At the same time, youth cigarette smoking has reached an all-time low. Less than 10 percent of students reported smoking cigarettes – a 70 percent drop since 2000.
“E-cigarettes and similar devices threaten to reverse our success in preventing youth from using tobacco products,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a release. “Just as we successfully reduced cigarette use to under 10 percent of high school students, giving us the hope that a smoke-free generation was within reach, the industry responded with new products designed to get youth addicted to nicotine.”
One-fifth of Minnesota youth using e-cigarettes have never smoked or used conventional tobacco, such as cigarettes or chew.
“Due to aggressive marketing around e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products, around 88 percent of high school students have seen ads related to e-cigarettes,” Wilkin County’s We Care Coalition Coordinator Ashley Wiertzema said.
According to the 2016 Minnesota Student survey, 20.3 percent of Wilkin County 11th graders reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, 10.9 percent used hookah, 9.4 reported used cigarettes, 9.2 percent reported using chewing tobacco and 6.3 percent reported using cigars or cigarillos.
“When you want to talk with your teen about tobacco use, ensure the discussion is natural and not forced. A natural discussion will increase the likelihood that your teen will listen,” Wiertzema said. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has great resources for parents if you are interested in starting the conversation today.”
“E-cigarette use is especially dangerous for youth,” said Dr. Peter Dehnel, pediatrician and medical director with Twin Cities Medical Society, in a release. “It provides a platform for illicit drugs and for nicotine, which we know is highly addictive and can harm brain development as teens grow, impairing learning, memory and attention.”
Many communities are already taking action to protect youth, by reducing youth access to these products through innovative policies, such as increasing the minimum tobacco sales age to 21, restricting where menthol and flavored tobacco are sold, and raising the price of tobacco.
from Health - Google News http://ift.tt/2GoJqUj
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