E-cigarette use by US high school students falls in 2023 -survey

Flavored e-cigarette products are seen on a store shelf in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Arriana Mclymore/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Nov 2 (Reuters) – E-cigarette use among U.S. high school students dropped significantly this year to 10% from 14%, according to a government survey on Thursday, even as the potentially addictive nicotine devices remained the most used tobacco product among teens and children.
The 2023 school-based survey, conducted between March and June, was the first clear sign of a drop in the use of vapes and other e-cigarettes by students, typically aged 14-18 years old, since the COVID-19 pandemic when year-over-year comparisons were difficult.
The annual National Youth Tobacco Survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) described the change for middle school students as not being statistically significant.
It showed that among students in grades 6-8, typically aged 11-13 years old, the change in e-cigarette use was small with an increase to 4.6% from 3.3% in 2022.
The health agencies said the survey shows concerning signs of high use among students, with about half of students who ever tried e-cigarettes reported currently using them, indicating that many who try e-cigarettes remain users.
In total, about 22.2% of the surveyed or 6.2 million high school and middle school students reported using any type of tobacco product, and 10% reported currently using one.
Amongst those who currently use e-cigarettes, 25.2% used e-cigarettes daily and 89.4% used flavored e-cigarettes, the survey found.
“The decline in e-cigarette use among high school students shows great progress, but our work is far from over,” said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.
“Findings from this report underscore the threat that commercial tobacco product use poses to the health of our nation’s youth.