Youth Substance  Use: State Estimates From the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

3. TOBACCO USE

Preceded by alcohol, cigarettes were the second most commonly used substance with 14.9 percent of youths having used cigarettes in the past month (SAMHSA, in press). In addition to use of cigarettes, respondents were asked about other forms of tobacco use, such as chewing tobacco, snuff, cigars, and pipes. Nationally, 17.3 percent of youths had used some form of tobacco in the past month (SAMHSA, in press). Other measures discussed in this chapter include perceived risk of use, average age at first use, and dependence on cigarettes.

3.1 Model-Based Estimates

• Cigarette use was the main component of past month tobacco use among youths aged 12 to 17, but past month use of cigars also was significant (5.4 percent) (SAMHSA, in press). States that had high rates of past month cigarette use among youths tended to have high rates of tobacco use as well (Figure A.3). Of the 10 States in the highest group for past month cigarette use, 8 States were also in the highest group for past month use of tobacco (Figure A.3). Similarly, 9 of the 10 States in the lowest group for past month cigarette use were also in the lowest group for past month tobacco use (Figure A.3). Although the estimates are not statistically different, it is worth noting that some States, such as Nevada and Delaware, exhibit rates of past month use of tobacco that are only 1 to 2 percent higher than their rates for past month cigarettes, while for other States, such as Missouri, South Dakota, Mississippi, Montana, Arkansas, and Kentucky, the difference is over 4 percent (Tables B.4B and B.5B). Thus, in States with the higher percentage differences, it appears that there is a predominant use of either cigars or smokeless tobacco among youths who do not use cigarettes.

• In general, States that showed high youth rates of past month tobacco and cigarette use also reported low rates of perceived risk of cigarette use (Figures A.3 and A.4). The latter was measured using the following question: "How much do people risk harming themselves physically and in other ways when they smoke one or more packs of cigarettes per day?" Kentucky, for example, reported the lowest rate of perceived risk (52.7 percent reported great risk) among States, and it had the highest past month rates for cigarette use (23.5 percent) and any tobacco use (27.7 percent) (Tables B.6B, B.5B, and B.4B). However, other States such as Virginia and Nebraska were also in the group reporting the lowest risk of cigarette use, but they fell into the lowest or second-to-lowest group for past month cigarette use and past month tobacco use among youths (Figures A.4 and A.3).

3.2 Sample-Based Estimates

• For cigarettes, the average age at first use was lowest for Nevada (14.1 years) and highest for New Hampshire (16.6 years) (Table C.3). Only a few of the States that were categorized in the highest quintile for the prevalence of past month cigarette use among youths also reported a low average age at first use (Figure A.3 and Table C.3). These States included Kentucky(14.2 years), Montana (14.4 years), and Delaware (14.4 years) (Figure A.3 and Table C.3). The average age at first use for the Nation was 15.0 years (Table C.3). Five States that had the lowest youth prevalence rates of past month cigarette use also were in the top quintile of States with the highest average age at first use: District of Columbia, New York, Hawaii, California, and New Jersey (Figure A.3 and Table C.3). In contrast, Idaho had an average age at first use of 14.5 years (in the lowest quintile) and past month youth prevalence rates of cigarette use also in the lowest quintile (Figure A.3 and Table C.3).

• The average national youth cigarette dependence score of 0.56 (Table C.4) was very similar to the 0.58 score for alcohol (Table C.2). Likewise, for alcohol and cigarettes, the ranges between the lowest and highest State dependence scores were analogous. For cigarette dependence, the States with the highest scores were Delaware (0.93) and West Virginia (0.91), and the lowest score was in the District of Columbia (0.31) (Table C.4). As with alcohol, there was a high correlation at the State level between the average dependence score and the prevalence of past month use of cigarettes. Eight of the States in the top quintile for past month use of cigarettes were also in the top quintile for their cigarette dependence score (Figure A.3 and Table C.4). In a similar manner, 8 of the 10 States in the lowest quintiles for each measure were the same (Figure A.3 and Table C.4).

This page was last updated on June 03, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.