Use of smokeless tobacco products has declined among middle-school students, but increased use by high schoolers leaves overall use at about the same level since 2000.
The overall prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was 5.3% in 2000 and 5.2% in 2011, according to an analysis of data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey by Dr. Israel T. Agaku of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and his associates (JAMA 2013;309:1992-4).
In middle-school students, use of smokeless products dropped from 3.6% in 2000 to 2.2% in 2011, the investigators said, while prevalence among high-school students rose from 6.6% in 2000 to 7.3% in 2011.
The study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute. One coauthor reported serving on speakers bureaus for Pfizer. None of the other investigators reported any conflicts.
