Press Release-Youth tobacco smoking rates putting millions at risk of premature death

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Contact: CDC Media Relations  (404) 639-3286                                                                                                                    Youth tobacco smoking rates putting millions at risk of premature death More than 1 in 5 high school students use a tobacco product; 90 percent are tobacco smokers   Almost 23 percent of high school students currently use a tobacco product, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Of particular concern, more than 90 percent of those using a tobacco product are using combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, and pipes.   Extensive use of combustible products is of special concern because tobacco smoking causes most of the tobacco-related disease and death in the United States. The 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report released last January concluded that unless youth smoking rates drop rapidly, 5.6 million youth currently aged 0 to 17 will die early from a cigarette smoking-related illness.   “Nine out of ten smokers tried their first cigarette by age 18,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “We must do more to prevent our youth from using tobacco products, or we will see millions of them suffer and die prematurely as adults. Fully implementing proven tobacco control programs would help keep our youth from falling victim to tobacco.”   Read More>> ###   U.S. Department of Health and Human Services    CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether these threats are global or domestic, chronic or acute, curable or preventable, natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC is the nation’s health protection agency. The CDC has reached 1 million email subscribers. Thank you for your support. Modify/Update Subscriber Preferences or Unsubscribe | Learn about CDC Updates Questions or problems? Please contact support@govdelivery.com. This email was sent to filter@clubhouseb.com using GovDelivery,on behalf of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • 1600 Clifton Rd • Atlanta, GA 30333 • 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)