The Tobacco Epidemic in Youth and Adolescents in the United States

Abstract

There are 1.1 billion smokers in the world. An estimated 37 million tobacco users are youth aged 13-15 years, of which 13 million use smokeless tobacco. Tobacco use in youth is hence labeled as a “pediatric epidemic”. 90% of smokers start smoking and get addicted before the age of 25. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally each year, which accounts for 1 in 10 deaths worldwide. By 2030, 80% of these deaths will be in low and middle income countries (WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2011).