Encouraging News and Data Related to Teen Smoking

Teen smoking has been in the news lately. And, from what we can see, the news is encouraging.

According to this Bay Citizen article, fewer California retailers are selling cigarettes to minors than ever before. To collect these data, the California Department of Public Health conducts an annual sting operation — sending 700 underage youth to try to buy cigarettes. Results showed that 8% of stores sold cigarettes to minors in 2010, and only 6% did in 2011.

For those teens who do smoke, a new study found that adding physical activity to a cessation routine increases the likelihood that teens will stop smoking. According to the International Business Times, teens who combined counseling with fitness education were more likely to quit than those who didn’t. Evidently the rates for quitting were even more pronounced among teen boys.

On kidsdata.org, we offer data about youth cigarette use for counties and school districts across California. Statewide, the percentage of 11th grade boys and girls reporting they’ve never smoked remained relatively steady from 2003-2008. Find data for your region>>

Posted by Felicity Simmons

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