Tobacco- Demographic Data

Tobacco- Demographic Data

Tobacco Use among 15-25-Year-Olds in Mississippi, 2015-2023

Prevalence of Tobacco Use

Overall tobacco use, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes, has declined among 15-25-year-old Mississippians from 2015-2023. According to the Mississippi Youth Tobacco Survey, cigarette smoking declined from 9.9% in 2015 to 2.3% in 2022 among high school 15-25 year old students (Valentine et al., 2023). Similarly, cigar use declined from 8.7% to 6.3%, and smokeless tobacco use declined from 7.7% to 2.0% during the same period. While e-cigarette use increased from 12.0% in 2015 to peak at 21.6% in 2018, it has since stabilized to 15.6% in 2022 (Valentine et al., 2023). Based on these youth trends, it can be inferred that tobacco use, particularly combustible tobacco products, has also declined among 15-25 year olds more broadly. However, the prevalence of e-cigarette use likely remains higher compared to other tobacco products within this age group.

Demographics

Gender

Among 15-25-year-olds in Mississippi, males have historically had higher rates of tobacco use compared to females. On the 2022 Mississippi Youth Tobacco Survey, males had significantly higher rates of smokeless tobacco use (3.4% vs. 0.6% for females) and cigarette smoking (data not reported for 2022, but significantly higher among male 15-25-year-old students in 2015) (MS State Department of Health, 2024; Valentine et al., 2023). However, there were no significant gender differences in e-cigarette use in 2022 (15.4% for males vs. 15.8% for females) (Valentine et al., 2023). This suggests that gender disparities have narrowed over time, particularly for the most popular tobacco product, e-cigarettes.

Race

In terms of racial demographics, data indicate that tobacco use patterns diverge between white and Black 15-25 year olds in Mississippi. On the 2022 Mississippi Youth Tobacco Survey, white 15-25-year-old students had significantly higher rates of cigarette smoking compared to Black 15-25-year-old students (3.5% vs. 1.1%), while Black 15-25-year-old students had significantly higher rates of cigar use (9.1% vs 3.2% for whites) (Valentine et al., 2023). There were no significant racial differences in e-cigarette use. For smokeless tobacco, rates have historically been higher among white youth but converged to low rates for both groups by 2022 (Valentine et al., 2023).

Geographic Variation

Geographic variation in tobacco use likely exists across Mississippi’s 82 counties among 15-25-year-olds, although no systematic surveillance data are available. Some indication of potential geographic differences comes from data on smoke-free ordinances. As of July 2023, 37% of Mississippi’s population was covered by 185 local smoke-free ordinances across certain municipalities and counties (Valentine et al., 2023). Such ordinances likely exert downward pressure on smoking rates, suggesting possible geographic variation corresponding to locations with and without ordinances. However, concrete surveillance data on tobacco use among 15-25-year-olds by county does not exist.

Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic patterns in tobacco use among 15-25-year-old Mississippians are not reported in the provided data sources. However, national data indicate that cigarette smoking is increasingly concentrated among lower socioeconomic status groups. For example, in 2019 smoking prevalence was over 25% among adults with lower educational attainment and incomes below the poverty line, compared to 7% and 5% among college graduates and those at the highest income levels, respectively (Wang et al., 2020). Although comparable granular data are unavailable for Mississippi specifically, it is reasonable to infer that tobacco use among 15-25-year-olds in the state follows similar socioeconomic gradients.

Trends Over Time

As noted above, the use of combustible tobacco products – cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco – declined substantially among Mississippi youth from 2015 to 2022. For instance, cigarette smoking declined by nearly 80% over that period (Valentine et al., 2023). The data suggest these declines occurred across demographic groups. In contrast, e-cigarette use rose rapidly starting around 2014, peaked in 2018, and has since stabilized at a higher level than other tobacco products (Valentine et al., 2023). The rise in youth e-cigarette use in Mississippi mirrors national trends resulting largely from the introduction of potent, discreet products like JUUL (Jebai et al., 2022). It is reasonable to infer that patterns among 15-25-year-olds in the state followed similar trajectories.

Implications for Tobacco Control

The provided data suggest that great progress has been made in reducing combustible tobacco use among Mississippi youth from 2015 to 2023 through policy interventions like smoke-free laws, taxation, statewide prevention programs, and raising the minimum legal sales age (Valentine et al., 2023). However, work remains to curb the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic through stricter regulations and pricing policies comparable to traditional tobacco products. Continued tobacco surveillance and control efforts focused on the 15-25-year-old demographic will be crucial to preventing uptake in this vulnerable age group. Comprehensive smoke-free laws that encompass e-cigarettes could also help denormalize vaping and reduce public use. Taxing e-cigarettes similarly to cigarettes at the state level could further deter youth use by reducing affordability. Sustained work is still needed to bring down tobacco consumption across all products among Mississippi youth and young adults.

References

Jebai, R., Osibogun, O., Li,s W., Gautam, P., Bursac, Z., Ward, K. D., & Maziak, W. (2022). Temporal Trends in Tobacco Product Use Among US Middle and High School Students: National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2011-2020. Public Health Reports, 003335492211038. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549221103812

MS State Department of Health. (2024). Trends in Current Cigarette Use. https://msdh.ms.gov/page/resources/7568.pdf

Valentine, N., Winter, A., McClelland, E., Huell, M., & McMillen, R. (2023). Tobacco Use Trends among Mississippi Youth following the 1997 Settlement of Mississippi’s Medicaid Lawsuit and Subsequent Tobacco Prevention Initiatives, an Update. Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, 64(11/12). https://jmsma.scholasticahq.com/article/91490-tobacco-use-trends-among-mississippi-youth-following-the-1997-settlement-of-mississippi-s-medicaid-lawsuit-and-subsequent-tobacco-prevention-initiativ

Wang, T. W., Asman, K., Gentzke, A. S., Cullen, K. A., Holder-Hayes, E., Reyes-Guzman, C., Jamal, A., Neff, L., & King, B. A. (2020). Tobacco Product Use Among Adults—United States, 2019. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6946a4-

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What is the demographic data for people ages 15-25 who use tobacco in Mississippi, from 2015-2023?