Table 3.

Cigarette Use Among United States Adolescents by Race/Ethnicity, 1991 vs 2021

Cigarette Use by Year, % (95% CI)a
Cigarette Usage CategoryRace/Ethnicity19912021
EverBlack67.2 (63.8-70.5)11.5 (8.9-14.6)
Asian55.4 (49.9-60.9)7.1 (4.2-11.7)
Hispanic/Latino75.3 (73.6-76.9)19.4 (16.6-22.5)
White70.4 (67.6-73.1)19.4 (17.6-21.4)
Overall70.1 (67.8-72.3)17.8 (15.9-19.9)
OccasionalBlack12.6 (10.2-15.5)1.7 (1.1-2.8)
Asian14.6 (10.5-20.0)0.6 (0.2-1.9)
Hispanic/Latino25.3 (22.5-28.2)3.1 (2.4-3.9)
White30.9 (27.6-34.5)4.8 (4.0-5.7)
Overall27.5 (24.8-30.3)3.8 (3.3-4.4)
FrequentBlack3.1 (2.2-4.5)0.5 (0.2-1.2)
Asian6.6 (4.0-10.6)0.3 (0.1-1.3)
Hispanic/Latino6.8 (5.4-8.5)0.8 (0.5-1.2)
White15.4 (12.8-18.5)0.8 (0.5-1.2)
Overall12.7 (10.6-15.3)0.7 (0.6-1.0)
DailyBlack2.5 (1.7-3.7)0.5 (0.2-1.2)
Asian4.2 (1.9-9.1)0.3 (0.1-1.3)
Hispanic/Latino4.0 (3.1-5.1)0.6 (0.3-1.2)
White12.2 (9.6-15.3)0.6 (0.4-0.9)
Overall9.8 (7.8-12.2)0.6 (0.4-0.8)
  • aStatistically significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in cigarette use between 1991 and 2021 across all racial/ethnic groups.

  • Note: Ever is defined as taking even 1 or 2 puffs; occasional is defined as smoking on at least 1 day during the 30 days before completing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey; frequent is defined as smoking on 20 or more days during the 30 days before the survey; and daily is defined as smoking on all 30 days during the 30 days before the survey.