The Vermont Department of Health has published the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results. This biennial survey assesses behaviors among middle and high school students, covering dietary habits, physical activity, mental health, and substance use. The findings are encouraging for policymakers focused on tobacco and vapor product use, with traditional tobacco use remaining at record lows and a decrease in youth vaping from its 2019 peak.
In 2023, 7% of Vermont middle students had ever tried combustible cigarettes, while 2% reported currently using them. Current use is defined as having used the product on at least one occasion in the 30 days prior to the survey. These are significant declines from 2011, when 12.5% of Vermont middle school students had tried cigarettes and 3.3% were currently smoking.
Vapor product use is also down. In 2023, 12% of Vermont middle school students reported ever trying an e-cigarette, while 6% reported current use. Ever use of e-cigarettes is down by 22.6% from 2019 when 15.5% of students had ever vaped, while current use has declined by 23.1% during the same period, from 7.8% of middle schools currently using e-cigarettes.
Among high school students, the trend is similar. In 2023, 18% of high schoolers had ever tried a combustible cigarette, while 6% reported current use. These are significant declines—in 2011, 10.8% of Vermont high school students were currently smoking cigarettes.
Vaping peaked among Vermont high schoolers in 2019 when nearly half (49.8%) had ever tried an e-cigarette, and more than one-fourth (26.4%) reported current use. In 2023, less than one-third (32%) of Vermont high schoolers had tried vaping, and 16.1% reported currently using them. Between 2019 and 2023, ever-use of e-cigarettes among high school students declined by 35.7%, while current use decreased by 39%.
The survey also sheds light on the reasons behind youth vaping. Despite legislative efforts in Vermont to ban flavored tobacco and vapor products to curb youth usage, these measures may not be necessary. Data shows that tobacco and vapor product use has declined without such bans.
In 2023, among Vermont high school students who were currently vaping, the most common reason for using e-cigarettes was because they were “curious about them,” as reported by 25% of high school students who were vaping. Only 2% cited using e-cigarettes because of flavors. Curiosity was similarly the predominant reason among middle school students in 2023, as cited by 29% of students, compared to only 2% who used them because of flavors.
Vermont policymakers should acknowledge these declines and consider the comprehensive data on youth tobacco and vapor product use. Instead of imposing bans that could limit adult access to safer smoking alternatives, the focus should be on educational campaigns that address the primary motivators for youth tobacco and vapor product use.
Lindsey Stroud is a Visiting Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum, a Senior Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and a board member with the American Vapor Manufacturers Association.