Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students - United States, 2014

What is already known on this topic? Retail sales data suggest that U.S. consumption of flavored tobacco products, including flavored cigars and flavored e-cigarettes, has increased in recent years. There is growing concern that widely marketed varieties of new and existing flavored tobacco products might appeal to youths and could be contributing to recent increases in the use of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and hookah, among youths. What is added by this report? In 2014, among middle and high school students, 1.58 million e-cigarette users, 1.02 million hookah users, 910,000 cigar smokers used flavored varieties of these products during the preceding 30 days. Among current tobacco users, 70.0% reported using at least one flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days, including 63.5% of cigar smokers, 63.3% of e-cigarette users, and 60.6% of hookah users. What are the implications for public health practice? In 2014, millions of youths were exposed, through inhalation or oral absorption, to nicotine and harmful constituents from tobacco products. Sustained efforts to implement proven tobacco control policies and strategies (e.g., increasing the price of tobacco products, adopting comprehensive smoke-free laws, implementing advertising and promotion restrictions and national public education media campaigns, and raising the minimum age of purchase for all tobacco products to age 21 years) are needed to prevent all forms of tobacco use, including flavored tobacco products, among U.S. youths. © 2015, Department of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved.