Overall tobacco product use decreased from 16.5 to 12.6 percent among U.S. high school youth in 2022-2023, primarily due to a reduction in youth e-cigarette use, which fell from 14.1 to 12.6 percent. 10 percent.
This was reported this Thursday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who stated that the results translate into 580,000 fewer high school students reporting current use of electronic cigarettes.
These figures are part of data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), collected between March and June 2023, which report that, among high school students, decreases were also observed in the current use of cigars and combustible tobacco. in general, which represents historical lows.
“It is encouraging to see this substantial decline in e-cigarette use among high school students over the past year, which is a victory for public health,” said Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. ?But we cannot rest on our laurels. Is there more work to do to take advantage of this progress?
While a decrease in e-cigarette use was seen among high school students, there was an increase in overall current tobacco product use (4.5 to 6.6 percent) and multiple tobacco product use (1.5 to 2.5 percent). hundred).
However, among high school students overall, no significant changes were observed during 2022-2023 in current use of any type of individual tobacco product, including e-cigarettes.
Currently, 10 percent of U.S. middle and high school students (2.8 million youth) reported current use of any tobacco product.
E-cigarettes remained the most used tobacco product among high school and middle school students for the tenth consecutive year. Among youth who reported current e-cigarette use, about a quarter reported using e-cigarettes every day.
Disposable e-cigarettes were the most common type of product used by youth; however, the most popular brands included both disposable and cartridge products. Among young e-cigarette users, the most reported brands were Elf Bar (56.7 percent), Esco Bars (21.6 percent), Vuse (20.7 percent), JUUL (16.5 percent) and Mr. Fog (13.6 percent ).
Almost all used flavored products (89.4 percent), with fruit, candy, mint and menthol being the most used.
For the first time in the NYTS, the questionnaire asked about the use of flavors that included the word “ice” or “ice cream” in their name, along with other conceptual flavor names (i.e., names that imply flavor, but do not indicate one). in particular, as an ?island party?).
Accounting for these products provides a more robust picture of flavored tobacco product use among youth, and the results suggest that flavored tobacco product use among youth may be higher than previously thought.
"The FDA remains concerned about youth use of tobacco products, and we cannot and will not let our guard down on this issue," King said. ?The agency has a variety of law enforcement tools at our disposal and we are committed to using them as appropriate. "Will we not stand by while bad actors put profits before the health of our nation's youth?"
After filing 22 civil monetary penalty (CMP) actions in September, for the largest amounts sought to date, the FDA announced a new wave of enforcement actions targeting illegal e-cigarettes with youth appeal.
The agency is seeking fines in similar amounts against 20 additional retailers for the sale of unauthorized products from Elf Bar, the most popular brand among youth, according to the 2023 NYTS. The FDA previously issued a warning letter to each of these 20 retailers, warning them to stop selling unauthorized tobacco products.
During follow-up inspections, the FDA noted that retailers had not stopped selling unauthorized products, which led to CMP actions.
By September, the FDA announced civil monetary penalty actions against more than a dozen retailers for the sale of unauthorized Elf Bar/EB Design e-cigarettes and sent hundreds more warning letters to retailers for selling the same products.
These actions mark another step against manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers of illegal electronic cigarettes with youth appeal.
Notably, over the past year, the FDA issued more than 135 warning letters to unauthorized e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors.
You may be interested in: School bullying increases due to the use of social networks, harming more young people
