Teen Smoking Down, Survey Says
Published: August 6, 2008
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Results of a new Alabama Department of Public Health survey show that fewer high school students in the state are smoking.
Health officials released some of the data from their 2008 Youth Tobacco Survey Wednesday.
It shows a 17.5 percent decrease in teen smoking in 2008 compared to 2006.
The survey was given in 43 public high schools earlier in the year and the results are based on a sampling of nearly 1,400 students who turned in usable questionnaires.
About 22.1 percent of students said they smoked cigarettes and 15 percent said they smoked cigars.
Officials say they can’t pinpoint the exact cause of the decline, but credit a variety of
programs.
There’s a statewide quit line that smokers can call for counseling and a new teen campaign incorporates peer groups and MySpace.
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