Tobacco Use - Prevention Summary Table

Only one measure per topic is displayed in the summary table. A complete set of measures, where they exist, can be found by following the More Information link in the table below.

Legend:
green line green - headed in the right direction
red line red - headed in the wrong direction
black line black - stable or non-significant change (NSC)
purple purple - indeterminate
blue blue - Healthy People 2030 target
Measure Name Tobacco Use Initiation Youth Tobacco Use Adult Tobacco Use
Year Range 2008-2019 2011-2018 1965-2020
Measure

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated cigarette smoking during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated cigar smoking during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated smokeless tobacco use during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated use of any of these tobacco products during the past 12 months.

The percentage of middle and high school students (grades 6–12) who reported use of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or e-cigarettes on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.

The percentage of middle and high school students who reported use of any tobacco product (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco—including chewing tobacco, snuff, dip—hookah, pipe tobacco, bidis, dissolvable tobacco, or snus) on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.

Any tobacco product: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who, at the time of the interview, currently used cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, filtered little cigars; regular pipes, water pipes, hookah; e-cigarettes; and/or smokeless tobacco products.

Cigarettes: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and, at the time of the interview, smoked cigarettes every day or some days.

Recent Summary Trend Falling Stable Falling
Recent Summary Trend Year Range 2015-2019 2014-2018 2016-2020
Desired Direction Falling Falling Falling
Summary Graph Summary graph for Tobacco Use Initiation, Click to see detailed view of graph Summary graph for Youth Tobacco Use, Click to see detailed view of graph Summary graph for Adult Tobacco Use, Click to see detailed view of graph
Trends and Most Recent Estimates In 2019, 2.6% of adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 25 initiated cigarette smoking in the past year. Among adolescents in grades 6-12 in 2018, 18.3% were current tobacco users, 13.8% were current e-cigarette users. In 2020, 12.6% of adults aged 18 and older were current cigarette smokers (males - 14.3%, females - 11.1%).
Healthy People 2030 Target Eliminate cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults. Reduce current tobacco use in adoescents to 11.3%. Reduce to 5.0% the proportion of adult current cigarette smokers.
More Information Tobacco Use Initiation Youth Tobacco Use Adult Tobacco Use
Last Updated April 2022 April 2022 April 2022
Measure Name: Youth Tobacco Use
Measure Name Youth Tobacco Use
Year Range 2011-2018
Measure

The percentage of middle and high school students (grades 6–12) who reported use of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or e-cigarettes on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.

The percentage of middle and high school students who reported use of any tobacco product (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco—including chewing tobacco, snuff, dip—hookah, pipe tobacco, bidis, dissolvable tobacco, or snus) on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.

Recent Summary Trend Stable
Recent Summary Trend Year Range 2014-2018
Desired Direction Falling
Summary Graph Summary graph for Youth Tobacco Use, Click to see detailed view of graph
Trends and Most Recent Estimates Among adolescents in grades 6-12 in 2018, 18.3% were current tobacco users, 13.8% were current e-cigarette users.
Healthy People 2020 Target Reduce current tobacco use in adoescents to 11.3%.
More Information Youth Tobacco Use
Measure Name: Tobacco Use Initiation
Measure Name Tobacco Use Initiation
Year Range 2008-2019
Measure

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated cigarette smoking during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated cigar smoking during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated smokeless tobacco use during the past 12 months.

The percentage of individuals among those aged 12 to 25 years who said they had initiated use of any of these tobacco products during the past 12 months.

Recent Summary Trend Falling
Recent Summary Trend Year Range 2015-2019
Desired Direction Falling
Summary Graph Summary graph for Tobacco Use Initiation, Click to see detailed view of graph
Trends and Most Recent Estimates In 2019, 2.6% of adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 25 initiated cigarette smoking in the past year.
Healthy People 2020 Target Eliminate cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults.
More Information Tobacco Use Initiation
Measure Name: Adult Tobacco Use
Measure Name Adult Tobacco Use
Year Range 1965-2020
Measure

Any tobacco product: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who, at the time of the interview, currently used cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, filtered little cigars; regular pipes, water pipes, hookah; e-cigarettes; and/or smokeless tobacco products.

Cigarettes: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and, at the time of the interview, smoked cigarettes every day or some days.

Recent Summary Trend Falling
Recent Summary Trend Year Range 2016-2020
Desired Direction Falling
Summary Graph Summary graph for Adult Tobacco Use, Click to see detailed view of graph
Trends and Most Recent Estimates In 2020, 12.6% of adults aged 18 and older were current cigarette smokers (males - 14.3%, females - 11.1%).
Healthy People 2020 Target Reduce to 5.0% the proportion of adult current cigarette smokers.
More Information Adult Tobacco Use