scholarly journals Toward a More Comprehensive Index of Youth Cigarette Smoking: Average Number of Cigarettes Smoked per Day among Students in the United States over Two Decades

Author(s):  
Michelle T. Bover Manderski ◽  
Cristine D. Delnevo ◽  
Kenneth E. Warner

Reliance on 30-day prevalence as the principal means of assessing trends in youth cigarette smoking may understate the magnitude of the decrease in youth smoking, because prevalence does not account for smoking frequency or intensity. We analyzed Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data from 1997 through 2017 and estimated cigarette smoking prevalence (any smoking in the previous 30 days), frequency (number of smoking days in the previous 30 days), and intensity (cigarettes per day on smoking days). We calculated average cigarettes smoked per day (ACSD) as the product of frequency and intensity, divided by 30. We estimated ACSD among all high school students and by smoking frequency group (i.e., 1–5, 6–9, 10–19, 20–29, or 30 of the previous 30 days), sex, grade level, and race/ethnicity. Among US high school students, ACSD declined by 86.7% from 1997 to 2017, while prevalence declined by 75.8%. Within smoking frequency groups, smoking intensity remained similar over the two decades. However, changes in ACSD over time varied by race/ethnicity; ACSD increased among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black daily smokers while it decreased among daily smokers of other race/ethnicity groups. ACSD declined more substantially than smoking prevalence over two decades but remained virtually unchanged within smoking frequency groups, indicating that changes in frequency, rather than intensity, drove this decline. Prevalence estimates alone understate the degree to which youth in the United States have rejected smoking, and racial/ethnic disparities in smoking intensity are hidden when we limit our lens to prevalence-only measures.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251099
Author(s):  
Meenakshi Dasagi ◽  
Dale S. Mantey ◽  
Melissa B. Harrell ◽  
Anna V. Wilkinson

Objective To examine the relationship between current cigarette smoking patterns and three established risk factors for suicide using nationally representative data of high school students in the United States. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS)–United States, 2017. Multivariable, logistic regressions examined the association between 3 cigarette smoking behaviors [i.e., past 30-day cigarette (n = 13,731), frequent (n = 1,093) and heavy (n = 880) smoking] and 3 risk factors for suicidal outcomes [feeling sad or hopeless, suicidal ideation, suicide plan] assessed over the previous year. Results Among high school cigarette smokers, smoking 11 or more cigarettes per day (i.e., heavy smoking) was associated with 3.43 (95% CI: 1.69, 6.94) greater odds of reporting feeling sad or hopeless, 2.97 (95% CI: 1.60, 5.51) greater odds of reporting suicidal ideations, and 2.11 (95% CI: 1.34, 3.32) greater odds of reporting having ever planned a suicide attempt, controlling for covariates. Conclusions Our study shows that it is not simply cigarette smoking, but heavy cigarette smoking that is a risk factor for suicidal outcomes among adolescents. Public health implications A comprehensive plan is needed to accommodate heavy adolescent smokers who are at increased suicidal risk.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ruba Mohammad Miqdadi

The purpose ofthe study is to examine whether there are any significant differences in the mathematics anxiety levels between high school students in Jordan and their counterparts in the United States. Another purpose is to examine whether there are gender differences related to mathematics anxiety among high school students ofboth communities. A total of 1,386 high school students in the United States and Jordan participated in main study. This study showed that Jordanian high school students exhibited a significantly higher mathematics anxiety than United States high school students. Furthermore, the study revealed that female high schooLstudents in the United States acquired a significantly higher mathematics anxiety level than males. Another finding of this study was that males in Jordan had a significantly higher leveL of mathematics anxiety than males in the United States. The findings and educational implications ofthe study are discussed in light ofthe cultural difference between the two communities.


1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. McKee

In a small (pop. 25,000) Eastern community in the United States, “counselors” (teachers, parents, police, mental health clinic workers, and ministers) and high school students were interviewed and tested to ascertain knowledge regarding drugs. Data suggest that less is known about certain categories of drugs than others; drug users are more knowledgeable about drugs than non-users; police scored consistently lower than other “counselors” and students; and those with higher levels of formal education scored higher. Particular problems and areas of ignorance among the (usually non-drug using) adults who give counsel require identification to aid in establishing more realistic, efficient, and effective organizing, staffing, and operating of programs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1174-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seungho Ryu ◽  
Heontae Kim ◽  
Minsoo Kang ◽  
Zeljko Pedisic ◽  
Paul D. Loprinzi

Purpose: To evaluate secular trends in recreational sedentary behavior among high school students in the United States between 2003 and 2015. Design: A series of cross-sectional assessments over a 12-year period. Setting: Data from the 2003 to 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was used. Participants: Samples of 10 978 to 14 894 adolescents, drawn every 2 years: 2003 to 2015. Measures: The evaluated recreational self-reported sedentary behaviors included TV hours and computer hours that are not schoolwork. Results: For the entire sample, and using polynomial orthogonal coefficients via regression modeling, there was an upward linear trend for total sedentary behavior hours (β = 0.03; p = .001), a downward linear trend in TV watching (β = −0.06; p < .001), and an upward linear trend in computer use (β = 0.08; p < .001) from 2003 to 2015. Similar linear trends ( p < .001) were observed across several subpopulations, including the groups by gender, race/ethnicity, and body mass index. However, various subpopulations differed in TV watching, with black or African American, and obese adolescents having the highest TV watching hours, respectively (eg, 3.82 h/d vs 3.13 h/d in 2015; blacks vs whites; p < .05). Various subpopulations also differed in computer use, with obese adolescents (4.26 h/d in 2015) having the highest computer use. Conclusion: There were significant changes from 2003 to 2015 in sedentary behavior patterns in the US adolescent population. Total recreational sedentary behavior increased in this period. Specifically, TV viewing decreased while computer use increased. Continued monitoring of sedentary behavior trends is needed to better understand the changing behaviors of American adolescents and how they relate to changes chronic disease risk.


2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (12) ◽  
pp. 833-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marci Feldman Hertz ◽  
Sherry Everett Jones ◽  
Lisa Barrios ◽  
Corinne David-Ferdon ◽  
Melissa Holt

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