The 2018 Mississippi Youth Tobacco Survey from the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University has been released with promising news for the state. The data indicate that smoking and smokeless tobacco rates have decreased for Mississippi middle and high school students from 2016 to 2017. And while e-cigarette use has increased for high school students, it has decreased for middle school students. This is an encouraging development for a state leading the nation in preventable deaths, 5,400 a year of which are caused by tobacco use.
Mississippi high school students
· Current cigarette use fell in 2017 to 7.2 percent, compared to 9.4 percent in 2016
· Current smokeless tobacco use fell to 6.6 percent, compared to 7.1 percent in 2016
· Current e-cigarette use rose to 11.5 percent, compared to 10.3 percent in 2016
Mississippi middle school students
· Current cigarette use fell to 1.5 percent, compared to 3.8 percent in 2016
· Current smokeless tobacco use fell to 3 percent, compared to 4 percent in 2016
· Current e-cigarette use fell to 4.8 percent, compared to 5.9 percent in 2016
“The decrease in middle school students that currently smoke is significant,” said Amy Winter, Director of the Office of Tobacco Control at the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). “Other reductions from 2016 may not be as large, but their continuing downward trend is promising for the future health of our children.”
The Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalitions, MSDH, and Smokefree Mississippi partners work together to educate all Mississippians about the dangers of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in all public places. For more information on smokefree air ordinances and tobacco prevention programs, call the MSDH Office of Tobacco Control at 601-991-6050 or visit www.healthyms.com/tobacco.
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