Table 3.
Cigarette Use Among United States Adolescents by Race/Ethnicity, 1991 vs 2021
| Cigarette Use by Year, % (95% CI)a | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarette Usage Category | Race/Ethnicity | 1991 | 2021 |
| Ever | Black | 67.2 (63.8-70.5) | 11.5 (8.9-14.6) |
| Asian | 55.4 (49.9-60.9) | 7.1 (4.2-11.7) | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 75.3 (73.6-76.9) | 19.4 (16.6-22.5) | |
| White | 70.4 (67.6-73.1) | 19.4 (17.6-21.4) | |
| Overall | 70.1 (67.8-72.3) | 17.8 (15.9-19.9) | |
| Occasional | Black | 12.6 (10.2-15.5) | 1.7 (1.1-2.8) |
| Asian | 14.6 (10.5-20.0) | 0.6 (0.2-1.9) | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 25.3 (22.5-28.2) | 3.1 (2.4-3.9) | |
| White | 30.9 (27.6-34.5) | 4.8 (4.0-5.7) | |
| Overall | 27.5 (24.8-30.3) | 3.8 (3.3-4.4) | |
| Frequent | Black | 3.1 (2.2-4.5) | 0.5 (0.2-1.2) |
| Asian | 6.6 (4.0-10.6) | 0.3 (0.1-1.3) | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.8 (5.4-8.5) | 0.8 (0.5-1.2) | |
| White | 15.4 (12.8-18.5) | 0.8 (0.5-1.2) | |
| Overall | 12.7 (10.6-15.3) | 0.7 (0.6-1.0) | |
| Daily | Black | 2.5 (1.7-3.7) | 0.5 (0.2-1.2) |
| Asian | 4.2 (1.9-9.1) | 0.3 (0.1-1.3) | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.0 (3.1-5.1) | 0.6 (0.3-1.2) | |
| White | 12.2 (9.6-15.3) | 0.6 (0.4-0.9) | |
| 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 across all racial/ethnic groups.
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.