There’s a positive health trend among young people. The U.S. Census Bureau says cigarette smoking is on a rapid decline for the young, with national rates projected to fall below 5% by 2035.
Detroit Medical Center psychologist Dr. LA Barlow, says social norms are to thank for the trend.
“They’re just a little bit more in tune with their health,” Barlow said. “Back years ago, it was kind of cool to smoke. Nowadays, that’s not considered cool anymore. The young people I talk to, they’re like, ‘No, that’s a bad thing.’ They don’t consider it a cool or an in thing to do. They see the health impact and they’re concerned about that.”
Barlow says rising rates of vaping remain a concern for young people.
The study is based on data from 1.7 million respondents to the Census Tobacco Use Survey.
