From 1997 through 2003, the number of teenage smokers in the United States dropped from 36.4 percent to 21.9 percent. But recent data shows that the percentage has remained largely unchanged over the past five years, prompting some to worry that anti-smoking campaigns are beginning to fail.

"[Terry] Pechacek [of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] blamed the trend in part on cuts on anti-smoking campaigns by states that had been funded by a nationwide 1998 settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the tobacco industry....At the same time, cigarette companies have continued to increase their spending on promotional activities...."

This data comes from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is conducted every two years. The YRBS questions students in grades nine through 12 about various risky behaviors including the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Labels: prevention, smoking, teenagers