The Youth Tobacco Prevention department also uses research results from numerous external studies to help us better understand the issue of youth tobacco use in the United States.
Some important external studies include:
- Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a national, annual school-based survey that measures the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and other drug use among U.S. middle and high school students (specifically in 8th, 10th and 12th grades). The study began in 1975 with 12th graders and in 1991 was expanded to include 8th and 10th graders. Approximately 50,000 students in about 400+ public and private middle and high schools are surveyed each year. MTF is conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.1
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) is a national school-based survey conducted every two years that measures several health risk behaviors, including smoking, among grades 9 through 12. YRBS is a component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual in-home survey that includes adolescents aged 12-17. The survey provides information on the prevalence, patterns and consequences of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The NSDUH is conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s Office of Applied Studies.3
These studies monitor the prevalence of youth smoking and youth usage of other tobacco products across age, gender and other demographic groups. While measured youth smoking prevalence varies among these studies ─ which may in part be due to differences in methodology ─ in combination they provide a comprehensive perspective of the rates and trends of youth tobacco use and are valuable sources of information for YTP.
