High School Seniors Are Taking Fewer Risks—Sort of

In many ways, high school seniors are better behaved than they used to be. The results of the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) show fewer seniors engaging in a number of risky activities. The YRBSS has been tracking the behavior of middle and high school students every two years since 1991, surveying students in public and private schools across the country. Here's a comparison of the behaviors of high school seniors in 2019 with their counterparts in 2009 and 1999...

Percent of high school seniors who engaged in activity, 1999 to 2019

	2019	2009	1999
Drove after drinking*	7.8%	28.2%	37.2%
Currently smoke cigarettes*	9.0	25.2	42.8
Currently drink alcohol*	39.9	51.7	61.7
Currently use marijuana*	28.3	24.6	31.5
Ever had sexual intercourse	56.7	62.3	64.9
Currently sexually active**	42.3	49.1	50.6
Use a computer 3 or more hours per day for something other than school work***	45.5	21.2	–
Watch television 3 or more hours per day***	19.4	–	33.1

Note: – means data not available.

* In past 30 days

** In past 3 months

*** On an average school day

Many fewer high school seniors are smoking cigarettes, with the percentage of current smokers falling from 43 percent in 1999 to just 9 percent in 2019. But 40 percent of 2019 high school seniors reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, making vaping almost as popular as cigarettes were two decades ago.

Many fewer high school seniors report driving after drinking, with the number falling from 37 percent in 1999 to just 8 percent in 2019. But the 59.5 percent majority of 2019 high school seniors say they have texted while driving in the past 30 days, a behavior that can be as dangerous as driving after drinking. 

Nearly half of high school seniors say they use computers (including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, etc.) for something other than schoolwork for 3 or more hours a day on an average school day. But many fewer high school seniors are spending a lot of time watching television.

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System 

The Biggest Vapers Are Former Smokers

Before coronavirus began to dominate the news, another sort of epidemic was capturing our attention: vaping. Remember those days? Here is the latest data on the prevalence of vaping by age group...

Currently use (and ever-used) e-cigarettes by age, 2018
Total 18-plus: 3.2% (14.9%)
Aged 18 to 24: 7.6% (25.8%)
Aged 25 to 44: 4.3% (21.1%)
Aged 45 to 64: 2.1% (11.0%)
Aged 65-plus: 0.8% (4.7%)

Young adults are the biggest users of e-cigarettes, with about one in four 18-to-24-year-olds having ever used them. But age is not the biggest determinant of use. The biggest determinant is cigarette smoking status. Among people who never smoked, only 6.5 percent have ever used e-cigarettes. Among current cigarette smokers, the figure is 49.4 percent. And among former cigarette smokers who quit in the past year, fully 57.3 percent have ever used e-cigarettes and 25.2 percent currently use them. The evidence indicates that cigarette smokers are using e-cigarettes to help them kick the smoking habit.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Electronic Cigarette Use among U.S. Adults, 2018

E-Cigarette Use: Young Adults by State, 2017

Young adults are the biggest users of e-cigarettes but their use varies by state, according to the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Here are the five states in 2017 with the largest percentages of 18-to-24-year-olds who use e-cigarettes...

States with largest percentage of 18-to-24-year-olds who use e-cigarettes
1. Oklahoma: 15.4%
2. Wyoming: 15.2%
3. Arkansas: 14.7%
4. Tennessee: 14.5%
5. Missouri: 13.9%

Maryland had the smallest percentage of 18-to-24-year-olds who use e-cigarettes, with only 5.4 percent doing so in 2017. Vermont (6.1 percent) and California (6.4 percent) followed.

Source: CDC, BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data

Use of E-Cigarettes Surges among Teens

More than 3 million high school students use electronic cigarettes, according to the CDC, up from just 220,000 a few years ago. The CDC defines use of e-cigarettes as having one or more in the past 30 days. Here is how use has grown since 2011...

Percentage of 9th-12th graders who used 1 or more e-cigarettes in the past 30 days
2018: 20.8%
2011:   1.5%

Two out of three high school students who vaped in the past month used the flavored variety. No wonder the FDA is planning to ban sales of flavored e-cigarettes to teens.

Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Notes from the Field: Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011–2018

One in Five Young Adults Vapes

Among Americans aged 18 or older, only 9 percent say they occasionally or regularly vape (use e-cigarettes). But the vaping rate is much higher among young adults, with 20 percent vaping and a smaller 16 percent smoking cigarettes...

Percent who occasionally/regularly vape (or smoke cigarettes)
Aged 18 to 29: 20% (16%)
Aged 30 to 49:   9% (23%)
Aged 50 to 64:   7% (26%)
Aged 65-plus:    0% (10%)

Source: Gallup, Young People Adopt Vaping as their Smoking Rate Plummets