After years of decline, teen smoking rate levels

After a steady decline in teen smoking between 1999 and 2003, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting that overall smoking rates have leveled over the past four years (Source: “U.S. battle against teen smoking stalls: CDC,” Reuters, June 26, 2008).

The smoking rate for students aged 14 to 18 remained at just under 22 percent from 2003 to 2007. One positive, though, is that CDC officials reported that just 50 percent of students reporting trying a cigarette during that period, down from 70 percent in 1999.

Among the potential reasons why the rate has not continued to decline, according to the CDC, are aggressive price cutting programs from cigarette makers and the continued glamorization of smoking in popular culture.