Florida Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops Significantly
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine percent of Florida youth ages 11-17 are current users of electronic vapor products (EVPs), a decrease of nearly half from a peak of 16.6% in 2019.1,2 These are among the positive results in the recently finalized annual Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS), which also found that for the third straight year just 1.1% of Florida youth are currently using combustible cigarettes.3,4
- New report shows electronic vapor product use nearly halved over a period of extensive public education, health interventions
In addition to the drop in current use, Florida youth are also getting the message not to try EVPs, with 16.6% of Florida youth ages 11-17 having ever tried EVPs, compared to 27.9% in 2019, a decrease of more than 40%.5,6 EVPs remain the most common form through which Florida youth are exposed to nicotine and tobacco. - "Education, policies to reduce youth access and supportive resources for parents and other adults contribute to this great progress and these results validate the effectiveness of this important work."
- The updated FYTS numbers also show more than 5 out of 6 Florida youth (85.6%) are committed to never smoking and would not try a tobacco product even if offered to them by their best friend, and that other products such as smokeless tobacco, hookah and flavored cigars are almost never used by Florida youth.8,9
Several factors have influenced the decrease in e-cigarette use among Florida youth. - Effective communication strategies used by the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida include creating and distributing engaging content across the social media channels most often used by Florida youth.