In the hierarchy of teenage risk behaviors, government data
shows that vaping pales compared to drinking-, driving- and weapon-related
activities. It is remarkable that public health officials and the media focus
so greatly on the former, to the detriment of teen safety and health.
A report from the CDC earlier this year (here),
based on the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), allows us to put the data
in context.
The prevalence of past-month e-cigarette use in the 2017 YRBS
was 13%. That rate is higher than those for
cigarettes (8.8%), cigars (8.0%) and smokeless tobacco (5.5%). However, as I discussed recently (here),
the vaping rate pales next to those for marijuana (19.8%) and alcohol
(29.8%). In fact, the e-cigarette rate
is nearly identical to the rate for binge drinking (4 or 5 drinks within a
couple hours).
These rates of drug use are troubling, but there is much worse
in the federal report for parents and policymakers to be concerned about. Following is a list of other risky behaviors by high school students in the past 30 days.
| Prevalence (%) of Risky Behaviors Among American High School Students (YRBS, 2017) | |
|---|---|
| Past 30 Days | |
| Rarely/never wore a seatbelt (as an occupant) | 5.9% |
| Rode with driver who had been drinking | 16.5% |
| Drove after drinking | 5.5% |
| Drove after marijuana use | 13.0% |
| Texted or emailed while driving | 39.2% |
| Carried a weapon (e.g. gun, knife, club) | 15.7% |
| Past 90 Days | |
| Had sexual intercourse | 28.7% |
| ..…and used condom, 53.8% of previous | |
| Past Year | |
| Involved in physical fight | 23.6% |
| Physically bullied on school property | 19.0% |
| Electronically bullied | 14.9% |
| Felt sad or hopeless | 31.5% |
| Considered suicide | 17.2% |
| Made suicide plan | 13.6% |
| Attempted suicide | 7.4% |
Media coverage of the CDC YRBS report (here)
was largely confined to the sensational -- “Fewer teens having sex and using
drugs, CDC says.”
The absence of focus on the more prevalent and dangerous
behaviors in part reflects the FDA-led public health community fixation on
vaping. This may stem from the fact that,
of the many greater-risk categories outlined by the CDC, the FDA’s regulatory
authority only extends to tobacco. To a federal agency with a hammer,
everything is a nail.
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