Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Wednesday, October 25, 2000 |
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Tobacco use widespread among Georgia's middle school students, survey finds More than half of Georgia's middle school students experiment with tobacco products, according to a study released this month. The Georgia Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) found that 55 percent of all middle school students surveyed had tried some form of tobacco and almost one in five (19 percent) had used tobacco products at least once during the previous 30 days. "The findings of this study are bad news for the health of our kids," said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., MPH, director, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health. "This kind of experimentation among middle school students is very likely to be followed by higher rates of nicotine addiction among future high school students. We will be planning programs in all public health districts to address these issues." This is the first survey to provide comprehensive information on Georgia middle school students. In the spring of 1999 approximately 2,000 students in grades 6-8 were asked 66 questions about their knowledge of secondhand smoke, their exposure to tobacco advertising, and their ability to buy tobacco products, as well as their use of tobacco. The rate of current cigarette use among Georgia 8th graders, 21 percent, is slightly higher than the national average of 17 percent reported by a recent survey. "This information is vital to planning public awareness and prevention programs statewide and in local communities," said Toomey. "We need to reach all students and we must look at products beyond just cigarettes. We know that 30,000 Georgia children begin smoking every year and 10,000 start using spit tobacco. Tobacco use is widespread in both rural and urban areas, among minority as well as white students. It takes the form of cigars, various kinds of cigarettes, and spit products such as chewing tobacco." Among other findings of the GYTS: Of the 55 percent of middle school students experimenting with tobacco products, the highest rate was among Hispanics (68 percent). Overall, 12 percent of middle school students have tried spit tobacco products. Within that group, more Hispanics (21 percent) are experimenting than either whites (15 percent) or blacks (6 percent). Three out of every 10 middle school students have tried cigars. Eight percent of Georgia's middle school students said they had smoked a cigar at least once within the past 30 days, and over one in five of that number were girls. The GYTS is one in a series to be released by the Tobacco Use Prevention Program of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the agency that conducted the study. The Georgia Department of Education, other state agencies, county health departments, and community groups helped collect the information. Funding for the survey came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To obtain a copy of the 1999 Georgia Youth Tobacco Survey, or for more information about Georgia's Tobacco Use Prevention Program, call the Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health Tobacco Use Prevention Unit at 404-657-6649.
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