Annual Survey Shows Youth Vaping Is Still a National Epidemic

September 21, 2020 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

In 2020, the number of middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes decreased by 1.8 million (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e1.htm?s_cid=mm6937e1_w) compared to 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported in the results of the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. However, the results also showed that youth tobacco use is still an epidemic in the United States.

 The annual survey collects responses from students in grades 6–12 (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/surveys/yts/index.htm) across the United States and measures factors like demographics, a minor’s access to tobacco, and exposure to secondhand smoke. Historic data are also available (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/surveys/nyts/index.htm). The survey is designed to gauge:

Tobacco usage continues in youth populations in part because sweet flavors (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/vaping-e-cigarettes-and-flavored-tobacco-are-reversing-20-years-of-decreasing-smoking) are still aggressively marketed toward minors. The U.S. Congress and House of Representatives are responding (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/house-tells-fda-to-ban-e-cigarettes-during-covid-19) to pleas from CDC and FDA, but a further decline (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/national-survey-shows-encouraging-decline-overall-youth-e-cigarette-use-concerning-uptick-use) in youth vaping is unlikely unless they enact stronger federal regulations (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/house-tells-fda-to-ban-e-cigarettes-during-covid-19) around advertising and distribution.

ONS advocates for smoking cessation legislation and stricter regulations. View ONS’s position statement (https://www.ons.org/make-difference/ons-center-advocacy-and-health-policy/position-statements/e-cigarettes-and-vaping) on e-cigarettes and vaping, and get involved through the ONS Center for Advocacy and Health Policy (https://www.ons.org/make-difference/ons-center-advocacy-and-health-policy#:~:text=When%20you%20work%20with%20people,the%20National%20Institutes%20of%20Health.).


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