North Dakota High Schools: CDC Report Highlights Teen Tobacco Use Concerns

Why it matters locally: The CDC's report on high school tobacco use is directly relevant to North Dakota, impacting the health and well-being of our young residents and posing a challenge to public health initiatives. With a significant portion of the state's population being under the age of 18, high rates of tobacco use among adolescents could lead to increased healthcare costs, chronic disease prevalence, and decreased productivity within the future workforce of key industries such as agriculture and energy. Specifically, the impact can be felt right away by parents, public school administrators and teachers, and state health officials who will now have to interpret the national context for local relevance and action.

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Atlanta, GA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released data indicating that nearly 23% of high school students in the United States report current use of a tobacco product. The findings were published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The report highlights the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents.