Feds Ask Americans to Kick Butts

April 3, 2002 -- Despite a nationwide effort to curb teen smoking, a new report shows teens and young adults still light up more than any other age group. The National Cancer Institute report came as the CDC marked its seventh annual Kick Butts Day on April 3 to encourage Americans to stop smoking.

Researchers say fewer teenage boys and young girls are starting to smoke than in recent years, but more teenage girls over age 16 are picking up the habit. According to the report, nearly a third (32%) of all 12th graders were current smokers in 2000, down from a peak of 37% in 1997. In comparison, about one in five American adults is a smoker.

Overall smoking rates among adolescents increased through most of the 1990s, but the study shows a modest decline has emerged in recent years. Even though some progress has been made, researchers say there is still a need to target antismoking programs for certain racial and ethnic groups where smoking trends have not decreased.

"Smoking is a critical health issue that must be addressed on all fronts. We must begin this battle in schools before children even begin to smoke, and we must share with teenagers that smoking is not only harmful, it's deadly," says HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, in a news release.

The CDC says tobacco use remains the biggest cause of preventable deaths in the U.S., causing more than 400,000 deaths a year. About 80% of adult smokers started smoking before age 18.

The NCI report shows teen smoking rates vary by ethnic group, with American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents smoking the most and African American teens smoking the least.

Researchers say factors such as religious involvement and participation in high school sports programs may have a protective effect and contribute to lower smoking rates among certain groups.

Other, large-scale factors such as access, marketing, and cost of tobacco products also has an impact on smoking behavior. Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke more than 900 million packs of cigarettes per year. The report shows youths are more sensitive to price increases for cigarettes than adults. A 10% increase in the cost of cigarettes is estimated to reduce teen smoking by 5%.