The 2011 Wisconsin’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey was released on Friday. The report highlights a number of health issues for teens, including tobacco use. In regards to tobacco use, the report showed that while still too high, tobacco use is following a downward trend (see below for details). It’s worth noting that the report found that teen males use smokeless tobacco and smoke cigars more than females. Here are some of the key findings (others can be found on page 4 of the attached Trends document):

Key Findings

• In 2011, 41% of high school students reported trying a cigarette at least one time in their life compared to 64% in 2001.

• The prevalence of students who smoked a cigarette before the age of 13 decreased from 27% in 1993 to 9% in 2011.

• During 1993-2011, a significant decrease occurred in the percentage of students who reported smoking a cigarette on one or more of the past 30 days (32%-15%).

• Reports of smoking cigarettes on school property in the past 30 days has decreased from 14% in 1993 to 4% in 2011

2011 Youth Risk Survey Results Trend

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DPI-YRBS Press Release 2/16/12

DPI 2011 Youth Risk Survey Results Trend Report