Mississippi College to Become a Smoke-Free Campus

from their website. UMiss has greatly restricted smoking on campus & Delta State has a tobacco-free campus (see out fact sheet). Will other universities follow suit?

Our Latest Fact Sheet

Youth Smoking | 1998-2010

Menthol Cigarettes - Most Popular among Mississippi Youth

Menthol cigarette flavoring helps to promote smoking by "improving" the taste of smoke, and thus decreasing the unpleasantness of early smoking experiences. Research has demonstrated that menthol is more than a flavor -  it makes it easier for youth to initiate smoking (see The Case Against Menthol Cigarettes).


The latest results from the 2010 Mississippi Youth Tobacco demonstrate the popularity of menthol cigarettes among Mississippi youth.

• Among current middle school smokers, 59.5% usually smoke menthol cigarettes
• Among current high school smokers, 69.0% usually smoke menthol cigarettes
• Analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in regular menthol cigarette use across race, grade, or gender.

Although the legislation that authorized the FDA to regulate tobacco also implemented a ban on cigarettes with flavors such as chocolate with the rationale that this will discourage youth initiation, menthol was exempted from this ban and is being considered separately by the FDA. 

Frequent Smoking among Mississippi Youth

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.

• 897 Mississippi public middle school students have smoked cigarettes on at least 20 of the past 30 days
• The prevalence of frequent smoking has decreased by 85% since 1998, leading to 4,931 fewer middle school students who are frequent smokers

• 9,687 Mississippi public high school students have smoked cigarettes on at least 20 of the past 30 days
• The prevalence of frequent smoking has decreased by 50% since 1998, leading to 9,824 fewer high school students who are frequent smokers

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  

Senatobia board votes to go smoke-free

With a vote of four to one the City of Senatobia board members voted to adopt an ordinance making Senatobia smoke-free effective April 1. 

Upcoming Posts from the YTS

• Current tobacco use
• Most popular brands among Mississippi Youth
• Popularity of mentholated cigarettes among Mississippi Youth
• Source of cigarettes 
• Addiction & cessation
• Susceptibility among nonsmokers
• Prevention & knowledge
• Perceptions of social norms
• Exposure to tobacco smoke
• Youth who live with smokers
• Youth with friends who use tobacco products

Latest from the 2010 Youth Tobacco Survey

Results are in from the 2010 Mississippi Youth Tobacco Survey. In the public middle schools, we had a 70% response rate with 1644 completed surveys; and in the public high schools, we had a 74% response rate with 1789 completed surveys.

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.


Today's blog will focus on initiation of tobacco use.

• 26,449 Mississippi public middle school students have tried at least one cigarette
• The prevalence of having ever tried smoking has decreased by 57% since 1998, leading to 34,406 fewer middle school students who have tried smoking
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• 69,857 Mississippi public high school students have tried at least one cigarette
• The prevalence of having ever tried smoking has decreased by 34% since 1998, leading to 33,291 fewer high school students who have tried smoking

Support for Smokefree Air fact sheet

Check out our latest fact sheet. Despite strong public support, the smokefree air bill died in committee today.