A new report shows smoking rates are down among Wisconsin teens.
The Wisconsin Youth Tobacco Survey shows tobacco use down about 15-percent for high school students and nine-percent among middle school students since 2008. The bi-annual report shows about 17.7-percent of high school students and 3.9-percent of middle school kids reported using tobacco.
Dr. Seth Foldy, the state Health Officer, credits much of the decline to rising tobacco prices. He says higher taxes on cigarettes have consistently proven to discourage kids from trying to buy them in the first place. Foldy says other youth-oriented programs also help to educate teens about the dangers of using tobacco.
Foldy is hopeful smoking rates among Wisconsin youth will continue to go down by 2012, as prices continue to rise and now that a statewide smoking ban has taken effect.
The study is based on surveys conducted at 43 high schools and 45 middle schools across the state.