Academic Journal
Menthol Tobacco Product Use Among US Middle and High School Students, National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023-2024.
| Title: | Menthol Tobacco Product Use Among US Middle and High School Students, National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023-2024. |
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| Authors: | Moran KA; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia., Rosenbaum PE; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia., Meyers C; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia., Cornelius M; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia., Mahoney M; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.; Katmai Government Services, LLC, Orlando, Florida., Sawdey M; Division of Population Health Science, Office of Science, Center for Tobacco Products, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland., Cwalina SN; Division of Population Health Science, Office of Science, Center for Tobacco Products, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland., Navon L; Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. |
| Source: | Preventing chronic disease [Prev Chronic Dis] 2026 Aug 06; Vol. 23, pp. E31. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 06. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101205018 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-1151 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15451151 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Prev Chronic Dis Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Atlanta, Ga.] : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, [2004]- |
| MeSH Terms: | Students*/statistics & numerical data , Tobacco Products*/statistics & numerical data , Menthol*, United States/epidemiology ; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Female ; Male ; Prevalence |
| Abstract: | Introduction: Most tobacco use begins during adolescence. We used National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data from 2023 and 2024 to examine menthol tobacco product use among US middle and high school students. Methods: We used pooled data from the 2023 and 2024 NYTS (n = 51,930) to calculate nationally representative prevalence estimates for past 30-day menthol and nonmenthol tobacco product use, stratified by sociodemographic and mental health indicators. We used χ2 tests with Benjamini-Hochberg adjustments to compare behaviors. Results: During 2023 and 2024, 22.1% of students who currently used tobacco (representing 520,000 students) used menthol products. Overall, menthol products were used by 40.0% of students who smoked cigarettes, 18.0% who used e-cigarettes, and 11.5% who smoked cigars. Menthol tobacco use was significantly higher among males (vs females) (26.1% vs 18.3%), high schoolers (vs middle schoolers) (23.9% vs 17.0%), and those with moderate to severe anxiety or depression (vs no or mild symptoms) (25.0% vs 18.8%). By race and ethnicity, use ranged from 12.0% (non-Hispanic Black) to 28.6% (non-Hispanic multiracial). Compared with students who used nonmenthol products, a higher proportion of those who used menthol cigarettes or e-cigarettes reported younger age at first use of tobacco (<11 y) (42.5% vs 26.8% and 19.9% vs 13.2%, respectively), use on 20 to 30 of the past 30 days (38.2% vs 20.2% and 53.4% vs 33.2%, respectively), and fewer past-year smoking quit attempts (49.7% vs 63.2%, respectively). Conclusion: More than 500,000 US middle and high school students used menthol products; prevalence varied by sociodemographic and mental health indicators. Menthol tobacco use correlates with earlier initiation, higher frequency of use, and reduced past-year quit attempts. Additional efforts to reduce access to menthol products among young people may reduce tobacco use in this population. |
| References: | Curr Addict Rep. 2017 Dec;4(4):431-438. (PMID: 29497593) Prev Chronic Dis. 2024 May 30;21:E37. (PMID: 38815049) Psychosomatics. 2009 Nov-Dec;50(6):613-21. (PMID: 19996233) Am J Public Health. 2008 Sep;98(9):1685-92. (PMID: 18633084) Nicotine Tob Res. 2020 Oct 8;22(10):1726-1735. (PMID: 32347935) Tob Control. 2016 Jan;25(1):66-74. (PMID: 25354674) Tob Induc Dis. 2016 Jan 08;14:1. (PMID: 26752983) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024 Oct 17;73(41):917-924. (PMID: 39418216) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023 Nov 03;72(44):1173-1182. (PMID: 37917558) |
| Grant Information: | United States CC CDC HHS; United States FD FDA HHS |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 1490-04-6 (Menthol) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260806 Date Completed: 20260806 Latest Revision: 20261009 |
| Update Code: | 20261010 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13450101 |
| DOI: | 10.5888/pcd23.250427 |
| PMID: | 42561962 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1545-1151 |
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| DOI: | 10.5888/pcd23.250427 |