Tobacco use among Alaska youth

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national school-based survey used to monitor health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. Tobacco use is one of the behaviors monitored. Both high school and middle school surveys were administered to a representative group of Alaska high school and middle school students for the first time in 1995. Surveys were administered in a confidential and anonymous manner, taking care to assure student privacy. A total of 1,634 high school students and 1,265 middle school students completed surveys. The survey found that Alaska high school students have smoking rates higher than the national rate and that Alaska Native youth have even higher smoking rates. Furthermore, smoking is not uncommon among Alaska middle school students. Among high school students, 36.5% were current smokers (had smoked in the past 30 days) and 21.1% had smoked on 20 or more of the previous 30 days. Boys were more likely than girls to report having used chewing tobacco or snuff in the 30 days prior to the survey (23.5% of boys and 6.7% of girls). Smokeless tobacco use increased with grade level so that 29.1% of high school senior boys had used smokeless tobacco products within the previous 30 days. Over 60% of Alaska Native students reported smoking in the previous 30 days, 43.7% reported smoking 20 or more of the previous 30 days and 22.5% reported using chewing tobacco or snuff in the previous 30 days. Over half of middle school students reported having tried smoking at least once; about one-fourth smoked at least one day in the past 30 days and 5.6% smoked on 20 or more of the past 30 days.