Soda use is also high among teens
OKLAHOMA CITY – Vaping products are luring Oklahoma teenagers into trying tobacco products and paving the way to nicotine addiction, according to a new Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) survey. The survey also found that teenagers are not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
The findings were recently presented to TSET’s board of directors as an update on the first phase of the trust’s Healthy Youth Initiative.
The trust conducted an online survey for seven weeks between August and September to assess tobacco- and obesity-related behavior, knowledge and perceptions among Oklahoma teens, the trust said in a news release. The survey will help TSET direct messaging for the Healthy Youth Initiative.
“Today’s youth face incredible health challenges, from the rapid rise in electronic cigarette use to intense marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages and unhealthy foods,” said Michelle Stephens, vice chair of the TSET board. “Improving health outcomes in Oklahoma starts with our children, and that is why the TSET board of directors made this investment in our state’s future.”
More than 400 teens across the state participated in the survey. The findings included:
• 71% of vape users reported that e-cigarettes were their first tobacco product.
• Among participants, vapes were the most commonly used tobacco product at 23%. Rural youth reported significantly higher vaping rates.
• Vape users reported high rates of using other substances, including alcohol (68%) and cigarettes (41%).
NUTRITION RESULTS
Nutrition-related survey results showed that low water consumption and high soda consumption rates are critical issues for Oklahoma teens, according to TSET. The survey also indicated that teens need to boost their consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• Sixty-two percent of survey participants said they drank water at least twice a day, and 31% said they drank water less than once a day.
• Daily soda consumption was high with 19% of teenagers overall. Twenty percent of overweight teens and 25% of rural teens reported they had drunk soda at least twice daily in the past seven days.
• Overall, teens were most likely to report that they had not eaten fruits or vegetables in the past seven days because they did not think about those products, and their family did not buy them. TSET will tackle those nutritional health challenges with a new youth obesity prevention campaign set for 2021.