NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — According to a 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey done by the CDC, tobacco and e-cigarette use is down among high schools nearly four percent compared to last year.
The FDA said the change is largely due to a decline in the availability of flavored e-cigarette products.
In 2019 the use of e-cigarettes among young people was labeled by health professionals as an epidemic.
Dr. Brian King with the FDA said the decline in use this year is seen as a major victory.
"We had over 5 million kids in this country using E cigarettes in 2019. And now we're down to less than half that in 2023 which is a public health win," said King.
Unfortunately, use of tobacco and e-cigarettes among middle school students actually saw a slight bump compared to last year so, the work to discourage kids from smoking is not over.
