Fewer Teens are Smoking in Kansas

Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) officials announced today the results from the 2002 Kansas Youth Tobacco Survey (KYTS). According to the survey, between 2000 and 2002, tobacco use in Kansas declined by 12 percent among sixth thru eighth graders and 13% among ninth thru twelfth graders. The results, which have been reviewed and validated by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are based on data collected in late 2002 by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

“The data released today highlight the need to impact lifestyle choices and ultimately save lives,” said Roderick L. Bremby, KDHE Secretary. “The 2002 Youth Tobacco Survey results show that there were 4,400 fewer youth using tobacco than in 2000. That is potentially 4,400 lives saved from the harmful effects of tobacco use.”

Tobacco control efforts at the local, state and national levels, in combination with the increased price of cigarettes, are believed to be the cause of the decline.

“We are excited to be able to report progress in reducing youth tobacco use, but in order to see continued success, a strong commitment to supporting comprehensive tobacco use prevention strategies must be maintained,” said Bremby. “Tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of death in Kansas and national studies show that for every one person who dies of a smoking-attributable disease, there are 20 more people who are suffering from a serious illness from smoking.”

Key results from the survey include:

• A 29 percent reduction in the number of high school seniors who smoke cigarettes.
• A 12 percent decline in the number of 6th – 8th graders who have ever tried smoking cigarettes.
• A 21 percent reduction in the number of 9th – 12th graders who smoke five or more cigarettes per day.

The KYTS was administered statewide by KDHE with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The KYTS is intended to enhance the capacity of agencies to design, implement and evaluate tobacco prevention programs. The KYTS uses a two-stage probability sample design to select the schools and the students to be surveyed. Fifty middle schools and 50 high schools were randomly selected from across the state and approximately 70 percent of those schools selected participated in the survey.

The 2002 Youth Tobacco Survey Fact Sheet is available at: www.kdheks.gov/tobacco.

The Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program provides resources and technical assistance to community coalitions for development, enhancement and evaluation of state and local initiatives to prevent morbidity and mortality from tobacco use addiction.

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