SWYS 2001 News - How
Many Teens Really Smoke?
Southwest Wisconsin Teens That Have NOT Tried Smoking Tobacco
SWYS September 2001
Sixty-five percent of teens in grades 7-12 in southwest Wisconsin
have NOT tried smoking tobacco and 9% smoke on a daily basis.
Less than 10% of 7th graders and about 45% of 12th graders report
that they have tried smoking tobacco. Nineteen percent of teens
report that they currently smoke tobacco and more then 10% of
juniors and seniors report smoking at least a half a pack of
cigarettes a day in the month preceding the survey. The good
news is that teens indicate parents can have a positive impact
on teen smoking patterns.
Those are among the findings of the Southwest Wisconsin Youth Survey (SWYS)
survey conducted by 19 of 31 school districts in the Cooperative Educational
Service Agency (CESA) District 3. The school districts of Argyle, Barneveld,
Benton, Belmont, Black Hawk, Cassville, Darlington, Dodgeville, Iowa-Grant,
Mineral Point, Lancaster, Pecatonica, Platteville, Potosi, River Ridge, River
Valley, Seneca, Shullsurg and Southwestern surveyed more than 5,700 students
in September of 2001. UW-Extension faculty in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties
are involved in processing and presenting the data.
"The survey found that even in 12th grade less than 40% of the students
indicate that they currently use smoking tobacco. That percentage decreases to
under 5% for 7th graders", says Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County UW-Extension
Youth Development Educator. "Overall, 11% of females and 24% of males report
that they smoke at least once a week."
"Eighteen percent of 12th grade males and 11th grade females report that
they smoke nearly everyday", reports Deb Ivey, Iowa County 4-H Youth Development
Agent. "That's the highest level reported. We see a big jump in daily smokers
between 9th and 10th graders and again between 10th and 11th grade."
"It was no surprise that only 5% females reported trying chewing tobacco",
says Ruth Schriefer, Iowa County Family Living Agent. "One in four males
report trying chewing tobacco and about 9% report that they use it at least once
a week." The survey also found that 10% of 12th grade males report that
they chew tobacco everyday.
The SWYS survey also found that 6% of all males and 4% of all females report
that they had experimented with tobacco prior to 5th grade and that 17% of
all teens report that they tried tobacco before reaching 7th grade. Males were
slightly more likely to try tobacco than females with 36% of males trying tobacco
and 33% of females reporting the same.
"Parents can play a significant role in teen smoking behaviors", says
Schriefer. "Only 15% percent of teens who say their parents think it is
wrong for teens their age to smoke report being current smokers, while 47% of
those who say their parents think it is okay for teens to smoke are current smokers." Eighty-three
percent of teens say that their parents think it is wrong for teens their age
to smoke, 8% say their parents think it is okay and 9% are not sure what their
parents think. Among the unsure group, 37% report being current smokers.
Parents can have other positive influences adds Ivey. "Teens who reported
their parents practiced strong parental monitoring, establish and enforce consequences
for violating family rules and are likely to report them to school officials
if they violated a school activity code were less likely to report that they
tried or use tobacco. Eating dinner together and providing love and support
for teens also had a positive impact on teen tobacco use."
"Tobacco use is an important indicator of other drug use", says Schmitz. "The
survey found that the more kids used smoking tobacco, the more likely they were
to use other substances like alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine.
The study also showed that teens who reported lower levels of tobacco use also
reported higher average grades in their course work at school."
The SWYS survey was funded in large part by the Grant County Tobacco-Free Coalition,
the Lafayette County Tobacco-Free Coalition and the Iowa County Tobacco Coalition.
Other funders included Lafayette County Families First, participating school
districts, the Department of Transportation, United Way of Iowa County, Iowa
County Family Preservation and Support, the Biddick Foundation and the Alliant
Energy Foundation.
A full report on the SWYS survey results is due out this spring. Schmitz, Ivey
and Schriefer are also giving community presentations on the data. For more
information on the survey contact you local school district, Schmitz at 723-2125
or Ivey and Schriefer at 935-0391.
Return to 2001 News Releases
Tom
Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator
Youth and Agriculture Center P.O. Box 31, Lancaster, WI 53813
Phone: 608-723-2125 Fax: 608:723-4315
E-mail: thomas.schmitz@ces.uwex.edu |
