Youth Overall Tobacco Use Prevalence by Year, Grades 9-12, New Mexico, 2015 to 2019

Why Is This Important?

Examining overall tobacco prevalence is an important way to look at the overall burden and risks associated with the use of any of a variety of tobacco products. In the past decade, the use of cigarettes and cigars by youth has declined dramatically, however, it has been offset by the emergence of newer products such as hookah and e-cigarettes (see supplemental graphic). The nicotine in tobacco products can harm adolescent and young adult brain development, as well as lead to long-term addiction. This indicator measures the use of any of the following tobacco products in the prior month: cigarettes, cigars, spit/chew, hookah, or e-cigarettes. In 2019, nearly 4 in 10 NM high school youth used some form of tobacco and nearly half of these tobacco users used more than one type of product.

Definition

A current tobacco user is defined as a youth in grades 9-12 in a NM public high school who used any tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, spit/chew, hookah, or e-cigarettes) on one or more days in the past month.

How the Measure is Calculated

Health Topic Pages Related to: Tobacco Use - Youth Overall Tobacco Prevalence

• Tobacco Use
• Substance Use