Table 2.
Cigarette Use Among United States Adolescents by Sex, 1991 vs 2021
| Cigarette Use by Year, % (95% CI)a | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarette Usage Category | Sex | 1991 | 2021 |
| Ever | Boys | 70.6 (68.6-72.6) | 17.8 (16.0-19.8) |
| Girls | 69.5 (66.4-72.5) | 17.7 (15.2-20.4) | |
| Overall | 70.1 (67.8-72.3) | 17.8 (15.9-19.9) | |
| Occasional | Boys | 27.6 (24.6-30.9) | 3.9 (3.1-4.9) |
| Girls | 27.3 (23.9-31.0) | 3.7 (3.2-4.4) | |
| Overall | 27.5 (24.8-30.3) | 3.8 (3.3-4.4) | |
| Frequent | Boys | 13.0 (11.2-15.1) | 0.9 (0.7-1.4) |
| Girls | 12.4 (9.8-15.7) | 0.4 (0.3-0.8) | |
| Overall | 12.7 (10.6-15.3) | 0.7 (0.6-1.0) | |
| Daily | Boys | 10.5 (8.6-12.6) | 0.8 (0.6-1.0) |
| Girls | 9.1 (6.8-11.9) | 0.3 (0.2-0.6) | |
| Overall | 9.8 (7.8-12.2) | 0.6 (0.4-0.8) | |
aStatistically significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in cigarette use between 1991 and 2021 for boys and girls.
Note: Ever is defined as taking even 1 or 2 puffs; occasional is defined as smoking on at least 1 day during the 30 days before completing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey; frequent is defined as smoking on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey; and daily is defined as smoking on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey.