Gender Differences in Tobacco Usage Among School Students

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers data on tobacco use by middle and high school students. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. And tobacco use almost always starts during adolescent and young adult years. This includes college students.

Young women and girls are less likely to use tobacco products than boys and young men. In 2017, 17.5 percent of female high school students and 21.5 percent of male high school students reported that they used any type of tobacco product.

The rates for smoking cigarettes were relatively equal. But females were less likely to smoke cigars, electronic cigarettes, pipes, and to use smokeless tobacco products.

For middle school students 6.4 percent of males and 4.8 percent of females reported tobacco usage. In middle school, girls were slightly more likely than boys to smoke cigarettes.

The full report, “Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Student – United States, 2011-2017,” may be viewed here.