Current Smoking among Mississippi Youth - the latest from the 2010 Youth Tobacco Survey

Overall, rates of tobacco use remained steady. The state has experienced substantial decreases in tobacco use during the early years of our tobacco control programs, and these decreases have been sustained over the past two years. There were no statistically significant increases or decreases in initiation form 2009 to 2010; however, there have been substantial and statistically significant decrease in initiation of cigarette smoking from 1998 to 2010.


Public Middle Schools

• 6,388 Mississippi public middle school students are current smokers
• The prevalence of current smoking has decreased by 72% since 1998, leading to 16,699 fewer young smokers

Public High Schools

• 27,152 Mississippi public high school students are current smokers
• The prevalence of current smoking has decreased by 34% since 1998, leading to 14,190 fewer young smokers