DHSS Press Release

DPH PROGRAMS SPUR DRAMATIC DECLINE IN YOUTH SMOKING

Delaware youth smoking rates continued to decline dramatically, especially among middle school students, according to the Division of Public Health's (DPH) 2002 Delaware Youth Tobacco Survey. The survey shows decreasing smoking rates and strong awareness of the hazards of tobacco use among students ages 11-18. The findings indicate that DPH initiatives targeted at educating youth are reaping large rewards.

The Delaware Youth Tobacco Survey was administered to 5,296 students in grades 6-12 in the spring of 2002. The survey, first conducted in 2000, is administered every other year. The report, "Incidence and Prevalence of Youth Tobacco Use In Delaware," contains the following highlights:

• A 63 percent decrease in middle school students who reported smoking a whole cigarette before age 11, from 27 percent in 2000 to 10 percent in 2002.
• A 23 percent decrease in the number of middle school youth who have ever tried a cigarette, from 44 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2002. There was a 3 percent decrease among high school students, from 66 percent in 2000 to 63 percent in 2002.
• A 27 percent decrease in smoking during the past 30 days among middle school students, from 15 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2002. Current tobacco use for high school students decreased slightly from 27 percent in 2002 to 26 percent in 2002.

The survey found that most Delaware students know smoking is addictive and that they believe it is a health risk to smoke for only a year or two. Most students know that exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful.

While the results show that the trends are moving in the right direction, those students who do smoke face more social and knowledge barriers than their non-smoking peers.

• Three of four middle school students who smoke live with someone who smokes. This is an increase of 8 percent since 2000. The rate increased by five percent for high school students, from 62 percent in 2000 to 65 percent in 2002.
• Middle school students that smoke are twice as likely as their non-smoking peers to think that there is no risk in smoking a few cigarettes a day.
• Thirty-one percent of middle school students who smoke think it is safe to smoke for several years and quit, versus 9 percent of non-smokers. Continued tobacco prevention education is vital to reach these youth and keep the trends moving in the right direction.

Previous studies show that Delaware schools receiving DPH's comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation activities experienced more than two times the decrease in youth smoking compared with those that did not receive these services. These programs teach refusal skills, support development of leadership skills among teens, facilitate youth tobacco prevention organizations and provide cessation programs specifically designed for teens. Participating high schools include Polytech, Mt. Pleasant, McKean, Sussex Tech and Lake Forest.

DPH has been a leader in tobacco prevention activities in Delaware. The state's comprehensive approach to prevention education also includes cessation services for adults and increasing awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use among all ages through community tobacco prevention. Since most adult smokers are initiated to smoking as youth, preventing youth from beginning to smoke is one of the primary goals of the IMPACT Delaware Prevention Coalition's A Plan for Tobacco-free Delaware.

The Delaware Youth Tobacco Survey was conducted by the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies at the University of Delaware and funded by DPH. The survey was first conducted in 2000. The full report is available at www.state.de.us/drugfree/.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.