MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Cigarette smoking among Tennessee teens is declining, but a new report from the Centers for Disease Control says the news isn’t all good.
The CDC’s annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 2013 shows that cigarette smoking among the nation’s teens has now fallen to 15.7 percent. The number of Tennessee teens smoking has fallen three-tenths lower at 15.4 percent.
In spite of the promising numbers, CDC Director Tom Frieden says the agency is alarmed by the interest young people are showing in e-cigarettes, smoking pens, and electronic hookahs.
"No kid should be exposed to advertising that glorifies the use of nicotine or be able to easily buy e-cigarettes because their sales have not been restricted."
While Tennessee teens are smoking at a rate below the national average, cigar smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco among the state's young people is considerably higher than the national average.
WMOT news will look at other risky behaviors Tennessee teens are engaged in tomorrow.
Here is a link to the complete CDC study.