CDC: High-School Smoking Rate Falls

ATLANTA -- The government says smoking by high school students is at its lowest level in a decade.

Federal researchers said the drop largely is due to steep cigarette taxes and anti-smoking programs in schools.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 28.5 percent of high-schoolers last year reported they smoked in the previous month, down from 36.4 percent in 1997. The latest rate is the lowest since 1991, when it was 27.5 percent. The figure climbed in the 1990s before reversing course in 1999.

If the decline continues, the United States could achieve the 2010 national health objective of reducing current smoking rates among high school students to 16 percent or less, according to the report.

In 2001, as in previous years, white and Hispanic students were significantly more likely than black students to report current smoking.

CDC officials said the decline in the rate of high-school smoking likely is the result of higher cigarette taxes. They said school-based anti-smoking programs and anti-tobacco advertisements also probably played a role.

"It is encouraging to see more and more teens making the right choice about smoking," said Dr. David Fleming, acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We hope this trend continues because it would mean fewer people suffering and dying from smoking-related illnesses."