Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Illicit Drug Use Reported

by Adolescents Aged 12–17 years: United States,

1999–2004

by Cheryl D. Fryar, M.S.P.H.; Mercy C. Merino, B.S.; Rosemarie Hirsch, M.D., M.P.H.; and

Kathryn S. Porter, M.D., M.S., Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Abstract

Objective—This report presents national prevalence estimates for selfreported health risk behaviors of smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use by

U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 years in the National Health and Nutrition

Examination Surveys (NHANES).

Methods—Data in this report are from 6 years (1999–2004) of NHANES,

which is conducted on a complex, stratified, multistage probability sample of the

civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.

Results—The tables included in this report present weighted percentages and

standard errors for smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug use behaviors in U.S.

adolescents, by sex, race/ethnicity, education, and poverty level (when sufficient

data are available). Selected highlights are presented from information included

in the tables.

Keywords: cigarette smoking c alcohol use c adolescent health risk behaviors c

National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES)

Introduction

Behaviors related to smoking,

alcohol use, and illicit drug use during

adolescence are of great public health

importance because they have been

associated with depression, violence,

addiction, and other health risks (1–3).

A nationwide health promotion and

disease prevention agenda for improving

the health status of the U.S. population

by year 2010 has targeted some of these

behaviors (4), and several federal

surveys track the prevalence of

adolescent health risk behaviors in the

U.S. population (5,6). Regular cigarette

smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug

use by children are also addressed in the

report, America’s Children: Key

National Indicators of Well-Being,

2007 (7).

The present report provides

prevalence estimates of self-reported

risk behaviors for U.S. adolescents aged

12–17 years, sampled over 6 years

(1999–2004) of the National Health and

Nutrition Examination Surveys

(NHANES). Conducted by the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention’s

National Center for Health Statistics

(NCHS), NHANES provides interview,

examination, and laboratory data on the

health status of the U.S.

noninstitutionalized population. The risk

behaviors of cigarette smoking, alcohol

use, and illicit drug use in adolescents

can be linked to health outcomes

measured in NHANES, such as HIV,

sexually transmitted diseases, and

conduct disorders. The present report

should serve as a benchmark for how

NHANES data (i.e., data from a general

survey not collected with respect to any

particular health condition) on

adolescent risk behaviors are consistent

with findings from other studies that are

topic-specific to these behaviors, such as

the National Survey on Drug Use and

Health (NSDUH) (6), the Youth Risk

Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS)

(5), and the National Institute on Drug

Use-funded Monitoring the Future

(MTF) study (8), all of which have

larger adolescent samples and can

describe trends over time.

Methods

NHANES comprises a series of

cross-sectional, nationally representative

health and nutrition examination surveys

of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized

population. Samples are selected through

a complex, multistage probability design

(9,10). Beginning in 1999, NHANES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Center for Health Statistics 
Page 2	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

became a continuous survey. Lowincome persons, adolescents aged 12–19

years, persons aged 60 years and over,

African American persons, and Mexican

American persons are oversampled.

NHANES data for the present report are

from a combination of three 2-year

cycles: 1999–2000, 2001–2002, and

2003–2004. Six years of data were used

to provide estimates that have good

statistical reliability for demographic

subpopulations.

The NHANES data consist of

in-person household interviews and

standardized health examinations

administered in a mobile exam center

(MEC). A combined total of 38,077

sample persons, ranging in age from

birth to over 85 years, were eligible for

the surveys in 1999–2004, and of these,

31,126 (82%) were interviewed in the

home and 29,402 (77%) had

examinations at a MEC. A total of 5,322

adolescents aged 12–17 years

participated in the MEC components,

which included the collection of

questionnaire data on smoking, alcohol

use, and drug use. Table 1 gives the

sample sizes used in the present study.

There was no proxy reporting for

adolescents under age 16 years (as is

done in the household interview) for

these MEC questionnaire data.

Questions were administered in English

or Spanish, using audio computerassisted self interviewing (ACASI)

software.

Smoking and tobacco-use questions

focused on recent tobacco use and on

smoking and tobacco use history.

Questions on the use of alcohol focused

on age at first drink (initiation), lifetime

use, and current use (past 30 days) but

were not specific as to the type of

alcohol used. Drug-use questions

focused on lifetime use of marijuana,

cocaine, and other street drugs, as well

as intravenous drug use. The number of

respondents who answered ‘‘Yes’’ to the

question on intravenous drug use was

too small for inclusion in this report.

Five race/ethnicity categories were

derived from combined responses to

questions on race and Hispanic origin.

Race/ethnicity categories are reported

for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic

black, and Mexican American

respondents. Although data were

collected for other Hispanic persons and

other multiracial persons, the numbers

of observations were insufficient to meet

statistical reliability requirements for

reporting estimates.

Poverty status was defined by using

the poverty income ratio (PIR), an index

calculated by dividing family income by

a poverty threshold specific to family

size. The PIR is reported in three levels:

below the poverty level, one to less than

two times the poverty level, and two or

more times the poverty level.

The questions and definitions used

for analyzing smoking, alcohol, and

drug-use risk behaviors are given in the

Technical Notes. Questionnaires for each

of these components are available from

the NHANES website: http://

www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm. The data

files used for this report contain

sensitive information on adolescents and

are only available to the public through

the NCHS Research Data Center:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/r&d/rdc.htm.

Statistical analysis

Tables 2–29 give percentages and

standard errors for the adolescent health

risk behaviors. The standard errors of

the percentages were estimated by

Taylor series linearization (11), a

method that incorporates the sample

weights and accounts for the sample

design. Six-year MEC weights were

applied to account for differential

probabilities of selection, nonresponse,

and noncoverage. A relative standard

error (RSE) greater than 30% was used

to identify estimates that did not meet

standards of reliability or precision

(8,9). The RSE is defined as the ratio of

the standard error of the estimate

divided by the estimate and multiplied

by 100. In the tables, any estimate with

an RSE greater than 30%–40% is

indicated by a dagger (†); estimates with

an RSE greater than 40% are not shown

and are replaced with an asterisk (*).

Student’s t tests at the 0.05

significance level, with no adjustment

for multiple comparisons, were used to

assess the significance of differences

between point estimates. Terms such as

‘‘more likely,’’ ‘‘less likely,’’ ‘‘was

higher,’’ ‘‘was lower,’’ and ‘‘compared

with’’ indicate a significant difference.

Terms such as ‘‘similar’’ or ‘‘no

difference’’ indicate that the statistics

being compared were not statistically

significant. Lack of comment regarding

the difference between estimates should

not be interpreted to mean that a t test

was performed and the difference was

found to be not significant. All data

analyses were performed using the

statistical packages SAS version 9.1 (12)

and SUDAAN version 9.0 (13).

Strengths and limitations of

the data

NHANES estimates of prevalence

for alcohol, smoking, and illicit drug use

in adolescents aged 12–17 years are

limited because the data are selfreported. Limitations of self-reported

data include recall bias and intentional

misreporting of behaviors. Survey

planners attempted to minimize response

errors by implementing ACASI for

adolescents answering questions about

smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug use

asked in NHANES. Although the

NHANES target population (U.S.

civilian, noninstitutionalized) includes

most of the U.S. population, the fact

that NHANES did not survey the

homeless, persons in prisons, or

institutionalized populations means that

the findings are not representative of the

U.S. adolescent population as a whole.

Results

Cigarette smoking

Lifetime cigarette use

(i.e., ever tried cigarette smoking, even

one or two puffs)

+	 About 40% of adolescents aged

12–17 years have ever tried smoking

cigarettes, including a few puffs, in

their lifetime. This prevalence is

similar for males (40%) and females

(39%) (Table 2).

+	 Lifetime prevalence of ever having

tried smoking cigarettes increased

with increasing age, from 19% at age

12–13 years, to 42% at age 14–15
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009	 Page 3

years, to 60% at age 16–17 years

(Table 2).

+ Overall, Mexican American

adolescents (41%) and non-Hispanic

white adolescents (41%) had a higher

prevalence of ever having tried

smoking cigarettes, compared with

non-Hispanic black adolescents (34%)

(Table 2).

+ Mexican American males (45%) were

more likely than Mexican American

females (38%) to have tried smoking

cigarettes (Table 2).

+ Ever having tried smoking cigarettes

increased as educational grade level

increased and decreased for

adolescents living two or more times

above the poverty level (Table 2).

+ Overall, 24% of adolescents aged

12–17 years had smoked at least one

whole cigarette during their lifetime

(Table 3).

+ Ten percent of adolescents had

smoked at least one whole cigarette

before age 13 years (Table 4).

+ Among the 24% of adolescents who

ever smoked a whole cigarette, 42%

smoked before age 13 years (Table 5).

Current cigarette use

(i.e., smoked cigarettes on at least 1 day

during the 30 days before the survey)

+ Thirteen percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years smoked cigarettes on at

least 1 day during the 30 days before

the survey (Table 6).

+ The prevalence of having smoked in

the past 30 days increased with age:

12–13 years (3%), 14–15 years

(11%), and 16–17 years (24%)

(Table 6).

+ Non-Hispanic white adolescents

(15%) were more likely to be current

smokers than Mexican American

adolescents (10%) and non-Hispanic

black adolescents (8%) (Table 6).

+ Non-Hispanic white females (18%)

had a higher prevalence of current

smoking than non-Hispanic white

males (12%), Mexican American

females (9%), and non-Hispanic black

females (6%) (Table 6).

+ Current smoking was more prevalent

at higher grade levels: 11th grade and

above (27%), 9th through 10th grades

(19%), and 8th grade and below (7%)

(Table 6).

+	 The prevalence of current smoking

among adolescents in families with a

PIR two or more times the poverty

level (11%) was lower compared with

families at each of the other poverty

levels (16%) (Table 6).

+	 Overall, 7% of adolescents had

smoked on 20 or more days during

the past 30 days, with 5% of them

smoking daily (Table 7).

+	 Females (8%) had a higher

prevalence of smoking on 20 or more

days during the past 30 days than

males (6%) (Table 7).

+	 Non-Hispanic white adolescents (9%)

were more likely to have smoked on

20 or more days during the past 30

days than Mexican American

adolescents (3%) or non-Hispanic

black adolescents (3%) (Table 7).

+	 Among adolescents who were current

smokers, 53% had smoked on 20 or

more days during the past 30 days,

and 37% smoked daily (Table 8).

+	 Thirty-three percent of adolescents

who smoked during the 30 days prior

to the survey smoked more than five

cigarettes per day (Table 9).

+	 Forty-two percent of current smokers

smoked from one to two cigarettes

per day (Table 9).

+	 Among current smokers, nonHispanic white adolescents (39%) had

a higher percentage who smoked

more than five cigarettes per day,

compared with Mexican American

adolescents (13%) and non-Hispanic

black adolescents (22%) (Table 9).

+	 Fifty-nine percent of adolescents who

smoked a whole cigarette had tried to

quit in the past 12 months (Table 10).

Recent nicotine and cigarette use

(i.e., use of tobacco or nicotine products

in the past 5 days)

+	 Eleven percent of all adolescents

reported using some form of nicotine

in the past 5 days (Table 11).

+	 Females (12%) and males (10%)

reported similar use of nicotine

during the past 5 days (Table 11).

+	 A higher percentage of non-Hispanic

white adolescents (13%), compared

with non-Hispanic black adolescents

(7%) and Mexican American

adolescents (7%), reported using

nicotine in the past 5 days (Table 11).

+	 Non-Hispanic white females (15%)

had a higher percentage of nicotine

use in the past 5 days than Mexican

American females (6%) and nonHispanic black females (5%)

(Table 11).

+	 Overall, 9% of all adolescents had

smoked cigarettes in the 5 days prior

to the survey (Table 12).

+	 Four percent of recent (in the past 5

days) adolescent cigarette smokers

smoked daily (Table 12).

+	 Non-Hispanic white adolescents (5%)

had a higher percentage of daily

cigarette smoking in the past 5 days,

compared with Mexican American

adolescents (2%) and non-Hispanic

black adolescents (2%) (Table 12).

+	 Among adolescents who smoked

during the past 5 days, 26% smoked

10 or more cigarettes per day

(Table 13).

Alcohol use

Lifetime use

(i.e., had at least one drink of alcohol in

lifetime)

+	 Sixteen percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years had their first alcoholic

drink before age 13. Among those

adolescents who had an alcoholic

drink, 37% did so before age 13

(Tables 14 and 15).

+	 Eighteen percent of males and 14%

of females aged 12–17 years reported

drinking before age 13 (Table 14).

+	 Overall, 39% of adolescents aged

12–17 years had at least one drink of

alcohol in their lifetime (Table 16).

+	 Females (40%) were as likely as

males (38%) to have had at least one

drink of alcohol (Table 16).

+	 Non-Hispanic black adolescents

(30%) were least likely to have had

at least one drink of alcohol,

compared with Mexican American

adolescents (42%) and non-Hispanic

white adolescents (41%) (Table 16).

+	 Six percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years had at least one drink of

alcohol on 40 or more days in their

lifetime (Table 17).
Page 4	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Current use

(i.e., had at least one drink of alcohol in

the 30 days before the survey)

+ Overall, 21% percent of adolescents

aged 12–17 years had at least one

drink of alcohol during the 30 days

before the survey (Table 18).

+ Females (23%) reported a higher

percentage of alcohol use in the past

30 days than males (19%) (Table 18).

+ Mexican American adolescents (22%)

were as likely as non-Hispanic white

adolescents (23%) to have used

alcohol in the past 30 days

(Table 18).

+ Non-Hispanic black adolescents

(14%) were least likely to have used

alcohol in the past 30 days

(Table 18).

+ The prevalence of alcohol use in the

past 30 days increased as grade level

increased (Table 18).

+ Eight percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years reported drinking on

three or more days in the past month.

Among those who drank in the past

30 days, 37% drank on three or more

days (Tables 19 and 20).

Heavy (binge) drinking

(i.e., had five or more drinks of alcohol

in a row within a couple of hours on at

least 1 day during the 30 days before

the survey)

+ Ten percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years had five or more drinks

of alcohol in a row within a couple

of hours on at least one day during

the past month (Table 21).

+ Females (10%) were as likely as

males (11%) to have had five or more

drinks of alcohol in a row within a

couple of hours on at least one day

during the past month (Table 21).

+ Mexican American adolescents (12%)

and non-Hispanic white adolescents

(12%) had a higher percentage who

had five or more drinks of alcohol in

a row within a couple of hours on at

least one day during the past month,

compared with non-Hispanic black

adolescents (4%) (Table 21).

+ Three percent of adolescents aged

12–17 years had five or more drinks

of alcohol in a row on three or more

days in the past month (Table 22).

Illicit drug use

Lifetime use

(i.e., ever tried)

+	 Approximately 21% of adolescents

aged 12–17 years had ever tried

marijuana (Table 23).

+	 Overall, there was no statistically

significant difference by sex in the

percentage of adolescents who had

ever tried marijuana: 23% for males

and 20% for females (Table 23).

+	 Mexican American male adolescents

(28%) and non-Hispanic black male

adolescents (26%) had a higher

percentage who ever tried marijuana

than non-Hispanic white male

adolescents (21%). Mexican

American male adolescents (28%)

had a higher percentage who ever

tried marijuana than Mexican

American female adolescents (20%).

Non-Hispanic black male adolescents

(26%) had a higher percentage who

ever tried marijuana than nonHispanic black female adolescents

(21%). However, the percentage of

non-Hispanic white male adolescents

who had ever tried marijuana was

similar to that of non-Hispanic white

female adolescents (20%) (Table 23).

+	 Overall, 13% of adolescents aged

12–17 years had tried marijuana by

age 15 (Table 24).

+	 Twenty-one percent of adolescents

who had tried smoking marijuana did

so before age 13 and 63% did so

before age 15 (Table 25).

+	 Approximately 8% of adolescents

aged 12–17 years reported using

marijuana one to two times in their

lifetime, whereas close to 7%

reported using marijuana more than

20 times in their lifetime (Table 26).

+	 Among those who ever used

marijuana, 32% used marijuana 20 or

more times in their lifetime

(Table 27).

+	 Overall, 2% of adolescents aged

12–17 years had ever tried cocaine

(Table 28).

+	 Approximately, 2% of adolescents

first tried cocaine at age 15–17 years

(Table 29).

Discussion

Several surveys track the prevalence

of adolescent health risk behaviors,

including smoking, alcohol use, and

illicit drug use, in the U.S. population.

Surveys such as the NSDUH (6),

YRBSS (5), and MTF (8) have large

samples of adolescents, can describe

trends over time, and have released

recent data on adolescent alcohol,

smoking, and illicit drug use.

NHANES methodology is most

comparable to the NSDUH

methodology. The adolescent risk

behavior measures from NSDUH were

used as a touchstone for developing

NHANES variable categories and for

comparison with the present prevalence

estimates. Table 30 presents a summary

comparing NSDUH individual years for

1999–2004 and NHANES combined

1999–2004 prevalence estimates among

adolescents aged 12–17 years. As

shown, NHANES estimates for lifetime

marijuana use, lifetime cocaine use,

past-month binge drinking, and

past-month cigarette use are comparable

with the NSDUH estimates for 1999–

2004. The lifetime and past-month

alcohol use are within the confidence

interval bounds of the NSDUH

estimates. NHANES based estimates of

lifetime alcohol use on the question,

‘‘During your life, on how many days

have you had at least one drink of

alcohol?’’ However, if the question

asked is ‘‘How old were you when you

had your first drink of alcohol, other

than a few sips?’’ the lifetime alcohol

estimate (43.2%) is much closer to that

of NSDUH. The lifetime cigarette use

estimate from NHANES is higher, likely

due to a difference in the questions

asked. The NSDUH lifetime cigarette

smoking question asked ‘‘Have you ever

smoked part or all of a cigarette?’’ and

the NHANES lifetime cigarette smoking

question was ‘‘Have you ever tried

cigarette smoking, even 1 or 2 puffs?’’

In summary, NHANES data on the

self-reported behaviors of smoking,

alcohol use, and illicit drug use in

adolescents are consistent with findings

from other studies that are topic-specific

to these behaviors.
National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 15n May 20, 2009	 Page5

References

1.	 Miller JW, Naimi TS, Brewer RD,

Jones SE. Binge drinking and

associated health risk behaviors

among high school students.

Pediatrics 119:76–85. 2007.

2.	 Durant RH, Altman D, Wolfson M,

Barkin S, Kreiter S, Krowchuk D.

Exposure to violence and

victimization, depression, substance

use, and the use of violence by

young adolescents.J Pediatr

137:707–13. 2000.

3.	 Munafò MR, Hitsman B, Rende R,

Metcalfe C, Niaura R. Effects of

progression to cigarette smoking on

depressed mood in adolescents:

Evidence from the National

Longitudinal Study of Adolescent

Health. Addiction 103:162–71. 2008.

4.	 U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. Healthy People

2010: Understanding and improving

health. 2nd ed. Washington: U.S.

Government Printing Office. 2000.

5.	 U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. YRBSS: Youth

Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

HealthyYouth/yrbs/. 2008.

6.	 U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. National Survey on

Drug Use and Health. Available

from: http://oas.samhsa.gov/

nsduh.htm. 2008.

7.	 Federal Interagency Forum on Child

and Family Statistics. America’s

children: Key national indicators of

well-being, 2007. Washington: U.S.

Government Printing Office. 2007.

8.	 U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, National Institute

on Drug Use. Monitoring the Future: A continuing study of American

youth. Available from: http://

www.monitoringthefuture.org/. 2009.

9.	 National Center for Health Statistics.

Analytic and reporting guidelines:

The Third National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey,

NHANES III (1988–94). 1996.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/nhanes/nhanes3/nh3gui.pdf.

10. National Center for Health Statistics.

NHANES analytic guidelines. 2004.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/nhanes/nhanes_general_

guidelines_june_04.pdf.

11. Wolter KM. Introduction to variance

estimation. 2nd ed. New York, NY:

Springer. 2007.

12. SAS, release 9.1 [computer

software]. Cary, NC: SAS Institute.

2003.

13. SUDAAN, release 9.0 [computer

software]. Research Triangle Park,

NC: Research Triangle Institute.

2004.
Page 6 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 1. Sample sizes for smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use analyses in adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Cigarette Alcohol Drug

Characteristic smoking use use

Sample size

Total1 .............................. 4,911 4,896 4,914

Sex

Male............................... 2,475 2,466 2,478

Female ............................. 2,436 2,430 2,436

Age group

12–13 years .......................... 1,697 1,689 1,699

14–15 years .......................... 1,568 1,564 1,569

16–17 years .......................... 1,646 1,642 1,646

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ...................... 1,709 1,702 1,712

Non-Hispanic white...................... 1,252 1,248 1,252

Non-Hispanic black...................... 1,561 1,556 1,560

Education

8th grade and below ..................... 2,893 2,881 2,896

9th–10th grade ........................ 1,494 1,492 1,493

11th grade and above .................... 522 521 523

Poverty status2

PIR less than 1 ........................ 1,412 1,407 1,411

PIR 1 to less than 2..................... 1,201 1,198 1,204

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,919 1,912 1,919

1

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 2

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

Table 2. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who ever tried cigarette smoking, even a few puffs, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Ever tried cigarette smoking

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 39.9 (1.4) 40.4 (1.6) 39.4 (1.8)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 18.5 (1.5) 18.8 (1.9) 18.1 (2.1)

14–15 years ............................... 41.9 (2.4) 43.8 (3.1) 40.0 (2.7)

16–17 years ............................... 59.7 (2.1) 60.1 (2.7) 59.3 (3.0)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 41.2 (2.0) 44.5 (2.0) 37.6 (2.8)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 41.2 (1.9) 41.6 (2.2) 40.9 (2.7)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 33.6 (1.7) 34.8 (2.6) 32.3 (1.8)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.8 (1.5) 30.2 (2.1) 25.2 (1.8)

9th–10th grade ............................. 54.3 (2.1) 53.4 (2.6) 55.2 (2.8)

11th grade and above ......................... 61.9 (2.9) 61.8 (4.1) 62.0 (4.1)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 46.2 (2.7) 47.1 (3.2) 45.4 (3.4)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 43.4 (2.3) 42.3 (3.2) 44.6 (3.2)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 36.6 (1.6) 37.8 (2.3) 35.3 (1.9)

1

The percentage of adolescents who ever tried cigarette smoking, even one or two puffs, is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 7

Table 3. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who ever smoked a whole cigarette, by selected characteristics: United States,

1999–2004

Ever smoked a whole cigarette

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 .............................. 24.0 (1.2) 22.5 (1.3) 25.6 (1.7)

Age group

12–13 years .......................... 6.9 (0.9) 5.8 (1.0) 8.2 (1.5)

14–15 years .......................... 23.9 (2.1) 22.2 (2.9) 25.6 (2.5)

16–17 years .......................... 41.5 (2.0) 40.7 (2.4) 42.3 (3.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ...................... 23.5 (1.4) 25.8 (1.5) 20.9 (1.8)

Non-Hispanic white...................... 26.4 (1.7) 24.7 (1.8) 28.2 (2.3)

Non-Hispanic black...................... 15.7 (1.0) 16.5 (1.8) 14.8 (1.3)

Education

8th grade and below ..................... 14.1 (1.3) 14.0 (1.4) 14.3 (1.8)

9th–10th grade ........................ 35.3 (2.2) 32.2 (2.8) 38.8 (2.9)

11th grade and above .................... 43.1 (3.5) 44.1 (4.4) 42.4 (5.1)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ........................ 28.4 (2.6) 26.6 (3.4) 30.3 (3.4)

PIR 1 to less than 2..................... 26.0 (2.8) 25.9 (3.2) 26.2 (3.8)

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.5 (1.2) 19.6 (1.5) 23.4 (1.8)

1

The percentage of adolescents who ever smoked a whole cigarette is based on all adolescents. Adolescents who never smoked a whole cigarette or never tried smoking, even one or two puffs,
 

are included in the denominator.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 

Table 4. Percent distribution of age when first smoked a whole cigarette, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Age when first smoked a whole cigarette

Never Never smoked 10 years 11–12 13–14 15–17

Characteristic smoked whole cigarette or under years years years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 60.1 (1.4) 15.9 (1.0) 3.9 (0.6) 6.3 (0.5) 8.5 (0.7) 5.4 (0.4)

Sex

Male ................................. 59.6 (1.6) 17.8 (1.3) 4.8 (0.7) 5.1 (0.8) 7.6 (0.7) 5.0 (0.6)

Female ............................... 60.6 (1.8) 13.8 (1.2) 2.9 (0.6) 7.4 (0.8) 9.4 (1.0) 5.9 (0.7)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.8 (2.0) 17.6 (1.2) 2.1 (0.3) 5.5 (0.6) 8.7 (0.8) 7.2 (0.7)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 58.8 (1.9) 14.8 (1.2) 5.0 (0.8) 7.2 (0.7) 9.1 (0.9) 5.1 (0.6)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 66.5 (1.7) 17.8 (1.1) 1.7 (0.4) 3.5 (0.4) 5.3 (0.6) 5.2 (0.6)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 53.8 (2.7) 17.7 (1.7) 5.3 (1.4) 7.1 (1.1) 8.2 (1.1) 7.8 (1.4)

PIR 1 to less than 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.6 (2.3) 17.4 (2.0) †

5.1 (1.8) 8.5 (1.2) 9.4 (1.6) 3.1 (0.6)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 63.4 (1.6) 15.1 (1.2) 3.0 (0.6) 5.0 (0.8) 8.1 (0.9) 5.3 (0.5)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 1

The percent distribution of the age adolescents first smoked a whole cigarette is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 
Page 8 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 5. Percent distribution of age when first smoked a whole cigarette, among those who smoked a whole cigarette in adolescence

aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Age when first smoked a whole cigarette

10 years 11–12 13–14 15–17

Characteristic or under years years years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 16.1 (1.9) 26.0 (1.8) 35.3 (2.2) 22.6 (1.9)

Sex

Male ................................. 21.2 (3.0) 22.8 (2.8) 33.6 (2.6) 22.3 (2.6)

Female ............................... 11.3 (2.0) 29.0 (2.6) 36.8 (3.2) 22.9 (2.6)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 (1.3) 23.4 (2.2) 36.8 (2.3) 30.8 (2.1)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 19.0 (2.2) 27.3 (2.3) 34.3 (2.6) 19.5 (2.5)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 11.1 (2.5) 22.1 (2.5) 33.7 (2.8) 33.0 (3.1)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 18.8 (3.8) 25.1 (3.8) 28.8 (3.5) 27.3 (4.3)

PIR 1 to less than 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5 (5.6) 32.6 (5.4) 36.0 (4.0) 11.9 (2.3)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 13.9 (2.7) 23.4 (3.3) 37.9 (3.4) 24.7 (2.7)

1

The percent distribution of the age adolescents first smoked a whole cigarette is based on adolescents who only responded with an age first smoked a whole cigarette.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution includes only those adolescents who responded with an age first smoked a whole cigarette and excludes adolescents with unknown
 

characteristics.
 

Table 6. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who smoked cigarettes during the past 30 days, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Smoked cigarettes during past 30 days

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 13.0 (0.9) 11.5 (1.1) 14.6 (1.4)

Age group

12–13 years ............................ 3.3 (0.6) 2.6 (0.8) 4.1 (1.1)

14–15 years ............................ 11.4 (1.6) 9.2 (1.9) 13.8 (2.2)

16–17 years ............................ 24.4 (1.5) 23.5 (2.0) 25.3 (2.7)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 (0.9) 11.1 (1.0) 8.7 (1.2)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 14.9 (1.3) 12.3 (1.6) 17.7 (1.9)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 8.0 (0.8) 9.6 (1.3) 6.3 (0.9)

Education

8th grade and below ....................... 6.9 (0.8) 6.3 (1.0) 7.6 (1.2)

9th–10th grade........................... 19.1 (1.6) 16.6 (1.9) 21.8 (2.6)

11th grade and above ...................... 27.4 (3.3) 28.0 (3.9) 26.9 (4.3)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 15.8 (2.2) 15.6 (3.0) 16.1 (2.8)

PIR 1 to less than 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.1 (2.2) 14.6 (2.8) 17.5 (3.5)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 10.7 (0.9) 8.8 (0.9) 12.8 (1.5)

1

The percentage of adolescents who smoked a whole cigarette on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 9

Table 7. Percent distribution of number of days smoked a whole cigarette in the past 30 days, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by

sex and race/ethnicity: United States, 1999–2004

Number of days smoked a whole cigarette in past 30 days

Characteristic None 1–5 days 6–19 days 20–29 days 30 days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 87.0 (0.9) 4.0 (0.4) 2.1 (0.3) 2.2 (0.4) 4.7 (0.5)

Sex

Male ................................... 88.5 (1.1) 3.8 (0.5) 2.2 (0.4) 1.9 (0.5) 3.7 (0.6)

Female .................................. 85.4 (1.4) 4.3 (0.6) 2.0 (0.4) 2.4 (0.6) 5.9 (0.8)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 90.1 (0.9) 5.5 (0.7) 1.8 (0.3) 0.7 (0.2) 1.9 (0.4)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 85.1 (1.3) 3.7 (0.6) 2.2 (0.4) 2.6 (0.5) 6.5 (0.8)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 92.0 (0.8) 3.6 (0.4) 1.5 (0.3) 1.0 (0.3) 1.8 (0.4)

1

The percent distribution of the number of days adolescents smoked a whole cigarette during the 30 days before the survey is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 8. Percent distribution of number of days smoked a whole cigarette in the past 30 days, among those who smoked, for

adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Number of days smoked a whole cigarette in past 30 days

Characteristic 1–5 days 6–19 days 20–29 days 30 days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 30.9 (3.0) 16.0 (2.1) 16.6 (2.3) 36.5 (2.9)

Sex

Male ................................. 32.6 (4.4) 18.9 (3.4) 16.6 (3.4) 31.9 (4.4)

Female ............................... 29.5 (3.6) 13.6 (2.2) 16.7 (3.1) 40.2 (3.8)

Age group

12–13 years ............................ 71.4 (9.6) * * *

14–15 years ............................ 35.4 (5.4) 19.9 (4.7) 20.2 (4.4) 24.6 (4.5)

16–17 years ............................ 23.3 (5.5) 14.9 (2.4) 17.0 (2.6) 44.7 (4.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.6 (3.7) 17.9 (2.4) 7.2 (1.8) 19.3 (3.4)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 24.7 (3.5) 14.6 (2.7) 17.3 (2.8) 43.3 (3.5)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 45.5 (3.7) 18.6 (3.6) 13.1 (3.6) 22.8 (4.1)

Education

8th grade and below ....................... 40.3 (6.0) 21.7 (4.2) 14.1 (3.1) 24.0 (4.9)

9th–10th grade........................... 26.4 (3.7) 13.9 (3.1) 14.3 (3.6) 45.4 (4.3)

11th grade and above ...................... 27.4 (4.6) 12.7 (4.0) 24.6 (5.2) 35.2 (6.4)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 27.9 (4.5) 17.5 (4.0) 15.6 (4.8) 39.0 (5.0)

PIR 1 through less than 2 .................... 34.3 (6.7) 9.8 (3.0) 22.3 (6.2) 33.7 (5.7)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 31.6 (4.8) 17.5 (4.0) 13.7 (3.4) 37.1 (5.0)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%. 1

The percent distribution of the number of days adolescents smoked a whole cigarette during the 30 days before the survey is based on those who smoked a whole cigarette during the past
 

month.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 10 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 9. Percent distribution of number of cigarettes smoked each day, among those who smoked a whole cigarette in the past 30 days,

for adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Number of cigarettes smoked per day

Characteristic 1–2 3–5 6 or more

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 42.0 (3.1) 25.2 (2.6) 32.8 (2.8)

Sex

Male ................................... 43.3 (5.1) 21.5 (3.3) 35.2 (4.7)

Female .................................. 41.0 (3.4) 28.2 (4.1) 30.8 (3.4)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 85.9 (6.7) * *–

14–15 years ............................... 52.5 (6.2) 28.7 (5.5) 18.8 (4.4)

16–17 years ............................... 31.3 (3.5) 25.1 (2.8) 43.6 (3.6)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 64.0 (3.8) 23.2 (3.3) 12.7 (2.8)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 35.7 (3.3) 25.7 (3.1) 38.7 (3.6)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 50.9 (4.1) 27.6 (4.4) 21.5 (4.0)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.2 (5.4) 22.9 (5.3) 18.0 (4.0)

9th–10th grade ............................. 36.9 (3.9) 25.7 (4.2) 37.4 (4.4)

11th grade and above ......................... 29.8 (5.0) 27.1 (5.2) 43.1 (4.9)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 39.0 (5.3) 27.2 (6.1) 33.8 (5.0)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 42.7 (6.4) 24.8 (5.9) 32.5 (4.9)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 43.3 (5.4) 24.8 (3.8) 31.9 (5.0)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 

*– Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision, and quantity is zero.
 1

The percent distribution of the number of cigarettes smoked per day during the 30 days before the survey is based on adolescents who smoked a whole cigarette in the past month.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 10. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who tried to quit smoking cigarettes in the past 12 months, for those who ever

smoked a whole cigarette, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Tried to quit smoking in past 12 months

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 58.7 (2.1) 57.9 (3.5) 59.3 ( 2.7)

Age group

12–13 years ............................ 69.7 (6.1) 75.4 (8.1) 65.4 (10.2)

14–15 years ............................ 63.7 (4.1) 59.9 (5.5) 67.0 ( 5.6)

16–17 years ............................ 54.1 (3.2) 54.4 (4.4) 53.9 ( 3.6)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.4 (2.9) 64.2 (3.6) 48.5 ( 4.0)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 54.8 (3.0) 53.1 (4.6) 56.4 ( 3.5)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 71.6 (3.4) 75.9 (3.5) 66.3 ( 5.3)

Education

8th grade and below ....................... 69.7 (3.1) 68.7 (3.9) 70.7 ( 4.3)

9th–10th grade........................... 53.9 (4.3) 49.8 (6.0) 57.7 ( 5.3)

11th grade and above ...................... 51.5 (3.8) 57.9 (6.6) 47.1 ( 5.2)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 61.3 (4.4) 61.6 (6.5) 60.9 ( 5.0)

PIR 1 to less than 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.4 (4.7) 57.1 (6.5) 67.2 ( 7.3)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 54.5 (3.4) 54.6 (4.8) 54.4 ( 4.1)

1

The percentage of adolescents who tried to quit smoking cigarettes in the past 12 months is based on adolescents who smoked a whole cigarette. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 11

Table 11. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who used nicotine in the past 5 days, by selected characteristics: United States,

1999–2004

Nicotine use in past 5 days1

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent2 (standard error)

Total3 ................................... 10.7 (0.8) 9.9 (0.9) 11.6 (1.2)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 1.9 (0.5) * †

2.9 (1.0)

14–15 years ............................... 8.5 (1.4) 7.6 (1.7) 9.5 (1.9)

16–17 years ............................... 21.9 (1.6) 21.8 (2.0) 22.1 (2.4)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 7.2 (0.9) 8.6 (1.2) 5.6 (1.0)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 12.8 (1.2) 11.0 (1.4) 14.6 (1.7)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 6.5 (0.7) 7.8 (1.2) 5.0 (0.9)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 (0.6) 4.1 (0.8) 5.0 (1.0)

9th–10th grade ............................. 17.4 (1.9) 16.4 (2.1) 18.5 (2.5)

11th grade and above ......................... 24.0 (3.0) 25.0 (4.2) 23.3 (3.7)

Poverty status4

PIR less than 1 ............................. 13.3 (1.9) 13.6 (2.6) 13.1 (2.1)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 12.0 (1.7) 10.8 (1.9) 13.2 (3.2)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 9.3 (0.8) 8.3 (1.0) 10.2 (1.2)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 † Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 1

Any product containing nicotine, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, nicotine patches, and nicotine gum.
 2

The percentage of adolescents who used nicotine in the past 5 days is based on all adolescents.
 3

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 4

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 12 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 12. Percent distribution of cigarette use in the past 5 days, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Cigarette use in past 5 days

Characteristic None Nondaily Daily

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 90.7 (0.7) 5.1 (0.5) 4.1 (0.5)

Sex

Male ................................... 92.3 (0.8) 4.3 (0.5) 3.5 (0.6)

Female .................................. 89.1 (1.1) 6.1 (0.9) 4.8 (0.6)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 98.9 (0.4) †

0.9 (0.3) *

14–15 years ............................... 92.8 (1.4) 4.3 (0.9) 2.9 (0.7)

16–17 years ............................... 80.5 (1.4) 10.3 (1.0) 9.2 (1.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 94.1 (0.7) 3.9 (0.6) 1.9 (0.4)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 88.9 (1.1) 5.7 (0.7) 5.4 (0.7)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 95.2 (0.6) 2.9 (0.4) 1.9 (0.3)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.3 (0.6) 2.1 (0.4) 1.6 (0.4)

9th–10th grade ............................. 85.0 (1.7) 8.1 (1.2) 6.9 (1.0)

11th grade and above ......................... 78.1 (2.8) 12.6 (2.2) 9.3 (1.8)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 89.0 (1.7) 4.9 (1.0) 6.1 (1.3)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 89.3 (1.7) 6.1 (1.3) 4.5 (0.9)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 92.1 (0.7) 4.8 (0.5) 3.1 (0.5)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%. 1

The percent distribution of adolescents who smoked cigarettes in the past 5 days is based on all adolescents. Daily is defined as smoking cigarettes every day for 5 days. Nondaily is defined as
 

smoking cigarettes 1–4 days in the past 5 days.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 13. Percent distribution of number of cigarettes smoked per day, among those who smoked in the past 5 days, for adolescents

aged 12–17 years, by sex: United States, 1999–2004

Number of cigarettes smoked per day

10 or

Characteristic 1–2 3–9 more

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 .............................. 31.3 (3.7) 42.8 (3.6) 25.9 (3.3)

Sex

Male............................... 31.8 (5.8) 41.0 (5.6) 27.3 (5.3)

Female ............................. 30.9 (5.0) 44.2 (5.3) 24.9 (4.5)

1

The percent distribution of the number of cigarettes smoked per day during the 5 days before the survey is based on adolescents who smoked cigarettes in the past 5 days.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 13

Table 14. Percent distribution of age first had a drink of alcohol, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by sex and race/ethnicity:

United States, 1999–2004

Age first had a drink of alcohol

Never 10 years 11–12 13–14 15–17

Characteristic drank or under years years years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 56.8 (1.3) 8.0 (0.6) 8.0 (0.6) 14.9 (0.7) 12.3 (0.8)

Sex

Male ................................. 56.9 (1.5) 10.1 (0.9) 7.8 (0.8) 14.4 (0.9) 10.8 (0.9)

Female ............................... 56.6 (1.9) 5.8 (0.7) 8.2 (0.9) 15.4 (1.1) 14.0 (1.0)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.6 (2.1) 7.4 (0.6) 9.5 (0.9) 17.6 (1.2) 13.8 (1.1)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 56.0 (1.9) 7.9 (0.8) 7.6 (0.8) 15.5 (1.1) 13.0 (1.0)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 62.0 (1.4) 7.8 (0.6) 8.1 (0.8) 11.2 (0.9) 10.9 (0.9)

1

The percent distribution of age adolescents had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 15. Percent distribution of age first had a drink of alcohol, among those who drank alcohol, for adolescents aged 12–17 years, by

selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Age first had a drink of alcohol

10 years 11–12 13–14 15–17

Characteristic or under years years years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2

................................. 18.5 (1.3) 18.4 (1.1) 34.5 (1.3) 28.5 (1.9)

Sex

Male ................................. 23.5 (1.9) 18.1 (1.6) 33.5 (1.8) 24.9 (2.2)

Female ............................... 13.4 (1.5) 18.8 (1.7) 35.6 (1.8) 32.2 (2.3)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 (1.2) 19.6 (1.5) 36.4 (2.1) 28.6 (1.6)

Non-Hispanic white ........................ 18.0 (1.7) 17.2 (1.4) 35.2 (1.9) 29.5 (2.4)

Non-Hispanic black ........................ 20.6 (1.5) 21.2 (1.7) 29.5 (2.3) 28.6 (2.1)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 .......................... 22.1 (3.5) 16.7 (2.1) 31.9 (2.3) 29.4 (4.0)

PIR 1 to less than 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.9 (2.4) 27.1 (3.0) 31.9 (2.7) 21.1 (2.7)

PIR 2 or greater .......................... 17.1 (1.6) 15.1 (1.6) 37.0 (2.0) 30.9 (2.1)

1

The percent distribution of age adolescents had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, is based on adolescents who reported an age when they first had a drink of alcohol. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 14 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 16. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who had at least one drink of alcohol in their lifetime, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Had at least one drink of alcohol in lifetime

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 .............................. 38.8 (1.2) 37.8 (1.4) 39.8 (1.8)

Age group

12–13 years .......................... 15.1 (1.4) 16.8 (2.0) 13.3 (2.2)

14–15 years .......................... 37.3 (2.2) 34.6 (3.1) 40.1 (2.8)

16–17 years .......................... 64.2 (1.7) 63.4 (2.3) 65.1 (2.3)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ...................... 41.7 (2.1) 43.6 (2.7) 39.5 (2.1)

Non-Hispanic white...................... 41.2 (1.8) 40.0 (2.1) 42.4 (2.8)

Non-Hispanic black...................... 29.5 (1.5) 32.1 (1.9) 26.9 (2.0)

Education

8th grade and below ..................... 23.4 (1.3) 24.6 (1.8) 22.1 (2.0)

9th–10th grade ........................ 56.9 (2.5) 55.0 (3.0) 59.0 (2.9)

11th grade and above .................... 66.7 (2.3) 63.3 (4.1) 69.0 (3.4)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ........................ 35.0 (2.3) 37.1 (3.2) 32.8 (2.7)

PIR 1 to less than 2..................... 39.5 (2.1) 37.7 (2.8) 41.3 (3.5)

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.7 (1.5) 39.0 (2.1) 42.4 (2.2)

1

The percentage of adolescents who had at least one drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during their lifetime is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 15

Table 17. Percent distribution of days had at least one drink of alcohol, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Days had at least one drink of alcohol

40 or

Characteristic None 1–2 days 3–9 days 10–19 days 20–30 days more days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 .............................. 61.2 (1.2) 12.4 (0.6) 9.4 (0.6) 6.0 (0.5) 5.3 (0.5) 5.7 (0.5)

Sex

Male............................... 62.2 (1.4) 11.8 (0.8) 9.3 (0.9) 5.7 (0.7) 5.4 (0.6) 5.6 (0.7)

Female ............................. 60.2 (1.8) 12.9 (0.8) 9.5 (0.9) 6.3 (0.7) 5.2 (0.8) 5.9 (0.7)

Age group

12–13 years .......................... 84.9 (1.4) 9.0 (1.1) 2.5 (0.5) †

1.6 (0.6) †0.9 (0.3) †1.0 (0.4)

14–15 years .......................... 62.7 (2.2) 12.9 (1.1) 11.5 (1.3) 5.7 (0.9) 4.1 (0.8) 3.1 (0.7)

16–17 years .......................... 35.8 (1.7) 15.2 (1.4) 14.3 (1.4) 10.7 (1.0) 11.0 (1.4) 13.0 (1.3)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ...................... 58.3 (2.1) 16.8 (1.0) 8.8 (0.6) 6.1 (0.6) 4.0 (0.6) 5.9 (0.8)

Non-Hispanic white...................... 58.8 (1.8) 11.1 (0.9) 10.6 (1.0) 6.5 (0.7) 6.3 (0.8) 6.7 (0.7)

Non-Hispanic black...................... 70.5 (1.5) 14.7 (1.0) 6.2 (0.6) 4.1 (0.5) 2.2 (0.5) 2.4 (0.5)

Education

8th grade and below ..................... 76.6 (1.3) 10.7 (0.8) 6.2 (0.6) 3.1 (0.6) 1.7 (0.3) 1.8 (0.3)

9th–10th grade ........................ 43.1 (2.5) 14.8 (1.2) 12.6 (1.4) 9.8 (1.2) 9.4 (1.3) 10.3 (1.2)

11th grade and above .................... 33.3 (2.3) 13.9 (2.9) 16.9 (2.2) 10.2 (1.8) 12.7 (2.5) 12.9 (2.1)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ........................ 65.0 (2.3) 14.1 (1.6) 7.3 (1.2) 4.9 (0.7) 3.8 (1.0) 4.9 (0.9)

PIR 1 to less than 2..................... 60.5 (2.1) 15.3 (1.7) 7.8 (1.1) 5.7 (1.3) 5.9 (1.2) 4.8 (1.0)

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.3 (1.5) 10.4 (0.7) 11.0 (0.8) 6.9 (0.6) 5.9 (0.7) 6.5 (0.8)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is geater than 30%–40%.
 1

The percent distribution of number of days adolescents had at least one drink of alcohol during their lifetime is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 18. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who used alcohol during the past 30 days, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Alcohol use during past 30 days

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 .............................. 21.1 (1.2) 19.2 (1.2) 23.1 (1.8)

Age group

12–13 years .......................... 5.9 (0.8) 5.6 (1.0) 6.3 (1.4)

14–15 years .......................... 20.2 (2.0) 17.4 (2.2) 23.1 (2.5)

16–17 years .......................... 37.4 (2.0) 35.5 (2.6) 39.3 (2.9)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ...................... 21.7 (1.5) 22.1 (2.0) 21.3 (1.4)

Non-Hispanic white...................... 22.9 (1.7) 20.5 (1.6) 25.4 (2.6)

Non-Hispanic black...................... 13.7 (1.1) 14.1 (1.2) 13.2 (1.5)

Education

8th grade and below ..................... 10.6 (1.0) 9.9 (1.1) 11.3 (1.6)

9th–10th grade ........................ 34.0 (2.1) 31.7 (2.2) 36.4 (2.9)

11th grade and above .................... 39.2 (3.3) 36.2 (4.7) 41.3 (4.3)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ........................ 17.8 (2.1) 18.3 (3.0) 17.4 (2.3)

PIR 1 to less than 2..................... 20.6 (2.0) 16.0 (2.2) 25.4 (3.7)

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.1 (1.4) 21.5 (1.7) 24.7 (2.1)

1

The percentage of adolescents who had at least one drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 16 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 19. Percent distribution of number of days with at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days, among adolescents aged 12–17

years, by sex and race/ethnicity: United States, 1999–2004

Number of days of alcohol use

Characteristic None 1–2 days 3–5 days 6–30 days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 78.9 (1.2) 13.3 (0.9) 4.1 (0.4) 3.7 (0.4)

Sex

Male ................................... 80.8 (1.2) 10.9 (0.9) 3.9 (0.6) 4.4 (0.5)

Female .................................. 76.9 (1.8) 15.9 (1.4) 4.2 (0.6) 3.0 (0.5)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 78.3 (1.5) 14.8 (1.1) 2.7 (0.5) 4.2 (0.6)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 77.1 (1.7) 13.3 (1.2) 5.0 (0.6) 4.6 (0.5)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 86.3 (1.1) 10.3 (0.8) 1.7 (0.4) 1.6 (0.3)

1

The percent distribution of number of days adolescents had at least one drink on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 

Table 20. Percent distribution of number of days of alcohol use, among those who drank in the past 30 days, for adolescents aged

12–17 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Number of days of alcohol use

Characteristic 1–2 days 3–5 days 6–30 days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 63.2 (2.1) 19.2 (1.6) 17.6 (1.5)

Sex

Male ................................... 56.5 (2.9) 20.5 (2.9) 23.0 (2.4)

Female .................................. 69.0 (2.8) 18.1 (2.1) 12.8 (1.9)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 76.2 (5.3) * †

10.9 (4.2)

14–15 years ............................... 70.3 (3.4) 14.5 (2.0) 15.2 (2.8)

16–17 years ............................... 57.4 (2.9) 22.7 (2.8) 20.0 (2.0)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 68.2 (2.8) 12.6 (1.9) 19.2 (2.1)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 58.3 (2.5) 21.7 (1.9) 20.0 (2.1)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 75.5 (3.0) 12.5 (2.3) 12.1 (2.1)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.1 (3.7) 13.8 (2.9) 13.1 (2.7)

9th–10th grade ............................. 59.9 (2.7) 21.0 (2.7) 19.1 (2.2)

11th grade and above ......................... 57.3 (5.1) 22.5 (4.4) 20.2 (3.0)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 62.1 (5.0) 18.3 (4.0) 19.6 (3.7)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 65.3 (4.8) 17.0 (3.5) 17.7 (3.6)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 63.8 (3.0) 19.9 (2.3) 16.3 (2.3)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%. † Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%. 1

The percent distribution of the number of days adolescents had at least one drink on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on adolescents who had at least one drink of
 

alcohol on at least one day during the past month.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 17

Table 21. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who ever drank five or more drinks of alcohol in a row on at least 1 day in the

past 30 days, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Drank five or more drinks at one time in past 30 days

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 10.4 (0.8) 10.6 (0.9) 10.1 (1.1)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 2.1 (0.6) †

1.8 (0.7) *

14–15 years ............................... 8.2 (1.0) 7.2 (1.3) 9.2 (1.5)

16–17 years ............................... 20.9 (1.6) 23.3 (2.3) 18.5 (2.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 11.9 (1.0) 13.8 (1.3) 9.8 (1.1)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 12.1 (1.1) 12.1 (1.4) 12.1 (1.6)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 3.5 (0.5) 4.2 (0.7) 2.7 (0.6)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 (0.7) 4.3 (0.8) 3.7 (0.9)

9th–10th grade ............................. 18.3 (1.5) 18.8 (1.7) 17.8 (2.2)

11th grade and above ......................... 20.7 (3.0) 22.9 (4.5) 19.2 (3.8)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 8.9 (1.2) 9.9 (1.8) 7.8 (1.5)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 10.3 (1.1) 9.8 (1.7) 10.8 (2.3)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 11.1 (0.9) 11.5 (1.3) 10.7 (1.5)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 1

The percentage of adolescents who had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 18 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 22. Percent distribution of number of days drank five or more drinks of alcohol in a row on at least 1 day in the past 30 days,

among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Number of days drank five or more drinks in past 30 days

3 or

Characteristic None 1–2 days more days

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 89.6 (0.8) 6.9 (0.6) 3.4 (0.4)

Sex

Male ................................... 89.4 (0.9) 6.5 (0.7) 4.1 (0.5)

Female .................................. 89.9 (1.1) 7.4 (1.0) 2.7 (0.4)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 97.9 (0.6) †

1.6 (0.6) *

14–15 years ............................... 91.8 (1.0) 5.9 (0.8) 2.3 (0.5)

16–17 years ............................... 79.1 (1.6) 13.3 (1.3) 7.5 (0.8)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 88.1 (1.0) 8.1 (0.7) 3.8 (0.6)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 87.9 (1.1) 7.8 (0.9) 4.3 (0.6)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 96.5 (0.5) 2.6 (0.4) 0.8 (0.3)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.0 (0.7) 3.0 (0.6) 1.0 (0.2)

9th–10th grade ............................. 81.7 (1.5) 12.0 (1.2) 6.4 (0.8)

11th grade and above ......................... 79.3 (3.0) 13.2 (2.5) 7.5 (1.5)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 91.1 (1.2) 5.8 (0.9) 3.1 (0.7)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 89.7 (1.1) 7.2 (0.9) 3.2 (0.7)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 88.9 (0.9) 7.7 (0.7) 3.4 (0.5)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%. 1

The percent distribution of number of days adolescents had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey is based on all
 

adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 19

Table 23. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who ever tried marijuana, by selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Ever tried marijuana

Characteristic Total Male Female

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 21.1 (1.1) 22.5 (1.2) 19.6 (1.6)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 3.9 (0.8) 4.2 (1.0) 3.7 (1.1)

14–15 years ............................... 18.9 (1.4) 21.2 (2.3) 16.5 (2.0)

16–17 years ............................... 40.6 (2.0) 43.3 (2.5) 38.0 (3.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 24.3 (1.3) 28.4 (1.6) 19.8 (1.8)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 20.4 (1.5) 20.9 (1.6) 19.8 (2.3)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 23.4 (1.2) 26.0 (1.8) 20.6 (1.5)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.7 (0.9) 11.1 (1.2) 8.1 (1.3)

9th–10th grade ............................. 35.3 (2.0) 37.7 (2.5) 32.6 (2.8)

11th grade and above ......................... 39.8 (3.0) 43.3 (4.1) 37.4 (4.3)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 24.0 (2.4) 26.2 (3.3) 21.7 (3.1)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 24.0 (2.0) 24.3 (2.2) 23.7 (3.1)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 19.1 (1.3) 20.7 (1.6) 17.3 (1.8)

1

The percentage of adolescents who ever tried marijuana is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 

Table 24. Percent distribution of age first tried marijuana, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Age first tried marijuana

12 years

Characteristic Never or under 13–14 years 15–17 years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 78.9 (1.1) 4.5 (0.5) 8.8 (0.6) 7.8 (0.5)

Sex

Male ................................... 77.5 (1.2) 5.5 (0.7) 8.7 (0.7) 8.2 (0.7)

Female .................................. 80.4 (1.6) 3.4 (0.5) 8.9 (0.9) 7.2 (0.8)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 75.7 (1.3) 5.5 (0.7) 10.9 (0.7) 7.8 (0.8)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 79.6 (1.5) 3.8 (0.5) 8.6 (0.9) 8.0 (0.8)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 76.7 (1.2) 4.6 (0.6) 9.6 (0.8) 9.1 (0.7)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 76.0 (2.4) 5.2 (1.1) 9.6 (1.2) 9.1 (1.4)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 76.0 (2.0) 6.4 (1.4) 10.6 (1.2) 6.9 (1.0)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 81.0 (1.3) 3.4 (0.6) 7.9 (0.9) 7.7 (0.6)

1

The percent distribution of age first tried marijuana is based on all adolescents. 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status. 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 20 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 25. Percent distribution of age first tried marijuana, among those who tried, for adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Age first tried marijuana

12 years

Characteristic or under 13–14 years 15–17 years

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 21.3 (1.6) 41.9 (1.9) 36.8 (2.1)

Sex

Male ................................... 24.4 (2.6) 38.9 (2.5) 36.7 (2.7)

Female .................................. 17.6 (2.4) 45.5 (2.8) 37.0 (3.0)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 22.9 (2.2) 45.1 (2.6) 32.0 (2.6)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 18.7 (2.1) 42.2 (2.9) 39.2 (3.0)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 19.9 (2.5) 41.3 (2.5) 38.8 (2.8)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 21.8 (3.6) 40.2 (4.3) 38.0 (4.1)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 26.9 (4.7) 44.3 (3.9) 28.8 (4.0)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 18.1 (2.4) 41.6 (3.0) 40.3 (3.0)

1

The percent distribution of age first tried marijuana is based on adolescents who reported an age when first tried marijuana.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 

Table 26. Percent distribution of number of times used marijuana, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1999–2004

Number of times used marijuana

20 or

Characteristic Never 1–2 times 3–19 times more times

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 79.0 (1.1) 7.6 (0.5) 6.6 (0.5) 6.8 (0.5)

Sex

Male ................................... 77.6 (1.2) 8.5 (0.7) 6.8 (0.9) 7.0 (0.7)

Female .................................. 80.4 (1.6) 6.6 (0.8) 6.4 (0.7) 6.5 (0.8)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 96.2 (0.8) 2.0 (0.5) †

1.5 (0.5) *

14–15 years ............................... 81.1 (1.4) 9.8 (1.0) 5.0 (0.7) 4.1 (0.7)

16–17 years ............................... 59.4 (2.0) 11.2 (0.9) 13.4 (1.1) 16.0 (1.2)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 75.8 (1.3) 9.9 (0.9) 7.6 (0.9) 6.6 (0.7)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 79.7 (1.5) 7.1 (0.7) 6.1 (0.8) 7.1 (0.7)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 76.6 (1.2) 9.4 (0.8) 8.3 (0.7) 5.7 (0.5)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.4 (0.8) 4.5 (0.5) 2.8 (0.5) 2.3 (0.4)

9th–10th grade ............................. 64.8 (2.0) 12.4 (1.1) 11.2 (1.2) 11.6 (1.1)

11th grade and above ......................... 60.2 (3.0) 9.9 (1.6) 13.5 (2.0) 16.4 (2.2)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 76.1 (2.4) 8.6 (1.3) 8.7 (1.3) 6.6 (1.0)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 76.0 (2.0) 9.7 (1.3) 7.4 (1.0) 6.9 (1.2)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 81.1 (1.2) 6.5 (0.6) 5.6 (0.6) 6.8 (0.8)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 1

The percent distribution of number of times adolescents used marijuana in lifetime is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 21

Table 27. Percent distribution of number of times used marijuana, among those who ever tried, for adolescents aged 12–17 years, by

selected characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Number of times used marijuana

20 or

Characteristic 1–2 times 3–19 times more times

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

Total2 ................................... 36.2 (1.8) 31.6 (2.0) 32.2 (1.7)

Sex

Male ................................... 38.0 (2.7) 30.6 (3.5) 31.4 (2.8)

Female .................................. 33.9 (3.0) 32.9 (2.7) 33.2 (2.8)

Age group

12–13 years ............................... 52.3 (7.9) 41.1 (8.0) *

14–15 years ............................... 51.8 (3.5) 26.6 (3.2) 21.6 (3.5)

16–17 years ............................... 27.6 (1.8) 33.0 (2.4) 39.4 (2.1)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American ........................... 41.1 (3.1) 31.5 (3.1) 27.4 (2.4)

Non-Hispanic white .......................... 35.0 (2.3) 30.1 (3.0) 34.9 (2.5)

Non-Hispanic black .......................... 40.2 (2.3) 35.5 (2.0) 24.3 (2.1)

Education

8th grade and below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.1 (4.3) 29.3 (4.0) 23.5 (3.3)

9th–10th grade ............................. 35.2 (2.3) 31.9 (2.9) 32.9 (2.7)

11th grade and above ......................... 24.9 (3.6) 33.9 (4.1) 41.2 (4.5)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ............................. 36.1 (4.2) 36.2 (3.7) 27.7 (3.2)

PIR 1 to less than 2 .......................... 40.5 (4.0) 30.8 (4.1) 28.7 (3.7)

PIR 2 or greater ............................ 34.3 (2.6) 29.8 (3.1) 36.0 (3.1)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 1

The percent distribution of number of times adolescents used marijuana in lifetime is based on adolescents who reported the number of times they used marijuana in lifetime.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
Page 22 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Table 28. Percentage of adolescents aged 12–17 years who ever tried any form of cocaine, including crack or freebase, by selected

characteristics: United States, 1999–2004

Ever tried any form of cocaine,

Characteristic including crack or freebase

Percent1 (standard error)

Total2 ...................................................... 2.4 (0.4)

Sex

Male....................................................... 2.0 (0.4)

Female ..................................................... 2.8 (0.5)

Age group

12–13 years .................................................. *

14–15 years .................................................. †

1.0 (0.3)

16–17 years .................................................. 6.0 (1.0)

Race/ethnicity

Mexican American .............................................. 4.2 (0.6)

Non-Hispanic white.............................................. 2.5 (0.5)

Non-Hispanic black.............................................. *

Education

8th grade and below ............................................. 0.7 (0.2)

9th–10th grade ................................................ 4.1 (0.8)

11th grade and above ............................................ 6.0 (1.7)

Poverty status3

PIR less than 1 ................................................ 2.1 (0.5)

PIR 1 to less than 2............................................. 3.0 (0.9)

PIR 2 or greater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 (0.5)

* Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 40%.
 † Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 1

The percentage of adolescents who ever tried any form of cocaine, including crack or freebase, is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 3

Poverty status levels are based on poverty income ratio (PIR): the ratio of income to the family’s poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau). PIR less than 1: family income below the poverty
 

threshold; PIR 1 to less than 2: family income one to less than two times the poverty threshold; and PIR 2 or greater: family income two or more times the poverty threshold.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percentage excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.

Table 29. Percent distribution of age first tried cocaine, including crack or freebase, among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by sex:

United States, 1999–2004

Age first tried cocaine, including crack or freebase

Characteristic Never

14 years

or under 15–17 years

Total2 .......................................... 97.6 (0.4)

Percent distribution1 (standard error)

0.6 (0.1) 1.8 (0.3)

Sex

Male...........................................

Female .........................................

98.0 (0.4)

97.2 (0.5)

0.5 (0.2) †

0.6 (0.2)

1.4 (0.4)

2.2 (0.5)

† Estimate does not meet standards of reliability or precision; relative standard error is greater than 30%–40%.
 1

The percent distribution of age adolescents first tried cocaine, including crack or freebase, in lifetime is based on all adolescents.
 2

Total includes other racial and ethnic groups not shown separately and missing or unknown responses for education and poverty status.
 

NOTE: Denominator for each percent distribution excludes adolescents with unknown characteristics.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 23

Table 30. Comparison of NSDUH and NHANES prevalence estimates for adolescents aged 12–17 years: United States, 1999–2004

NSDUH NHANES

Substance 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1999–2004

Marijuana

Lifetime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.7 18.3 21.9 20.6 19.6 19.0 21.1

Cocaine

Lifetime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.4

Alcohol

Lifetime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Past month ...............................

Binge in past month ..........................

42.9

16.5

10.1

41.7

16.4

10.4

42.9

17.3

10.6

43.4

17.6

10.7

42.9

17.7

10.6

42.0

17.6

11.1

††38.8

§

43.2

21.1

10.4

Cigarettes

Lifetime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Past month ...............................

37.1

14.9

34.6

13.4

33.6

13.0

33.3

13.0

31.0

12.2

29.2

11.9

39.9

13.0

†† Estimate based on question, ‘‘During your life, on how many days have you had at least one drink of alcohol?’’ § Estimate based on question, ‘‘How old were you when you had your first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips?’’

NOTE: NSDUH is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health; NHANES is the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
Page 24 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Technical Notes

Questions and definitions

used for analyzing risk

behaviors

Cigarette smoking

The following questions were asked

in NHANES about cigarette smoking

and nicotine use. Note that these

questions may have a series of skip

patterns. For example, if a person

answered ‘‘No’’ to the first question (did

not try cigarette smoking), then they

also did not answer the next question:

‘‘How old were you when you smoked

a whole cigarette for the first time?’’ To

estimate the age when first smoked a

whole cigarette for the entire U.S.

adolescent population, the ‘‘No’’

responses from the first question must

be included in the denominator.

Lifetime use—(i.e., ever tried cigarette

smoking, even one or two puffs).

Q. Have you ever tried cigarette

smoking, even 1 or 2 puffs?

Estimates for the percentage of

adolescents who ever tried cigarette

smoking, even one or two puffs, are

based on all adolescents.

Q. How old were you when you

smoked a whole cigarette for the first

time?

Estimates for the percentage of

adolescents who ever smoked a whole

cigarette are shown as a percentage of

all adolescents. Adolescents who never

smoked a whole cigarette, or never tried

smoking, are included in the

denominator. Percent distributions are

presented for both (i) age first smoked a

whole cigarette, among all adolescents;

and (ii) age first smoked a whole

cigarette, among adolescents who only

responded with an age first smoked a

whole cigarette.

Current use—(i.e., smoked cigarettes on

at least 1 day during the 30 days before

the survey).

Q. During the past 30 days, on how

many days did you smoke cigarettes?

Estimates for the percentage of

adolescents who smoked a whole

cigarette on at least 1 day during the 30

days before the survey are based on all

adolescents. Adolescents who did not

smoke during the past 30 days, never

smoked a whole cigarette, or never tried

smoking are included in the

denominator. Percent distributions are

presented for both (i) the number of

days adolescents smoked a whole

cigarette during the 30 days before the

survey, among all adolescents

(adolescents who did not smoke during

the past 30 days, never smoked a whole

cigarette, or ever tried smoking are

included in the denominator); and (ii)

the number of days adolescents smoked

a whole cigarette during the 30 days

before the survey, among those who

smoked a whole cigarette during the

past month.

Q. During the past 30 days, on the

days that you smoked, how many

cigarettes did you smoke per day?

The percent distribution of the

number of cigarettes smoked per day

during the 30 days before the survey is

based on adolescents who smoked a

whole cigarette in the past month.

Q. During the past 12 months, have

you stopped smoking for one day or

longer because you were trying to quit

smoking?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who tried to quit smoking

cigarettes are based on adolescents who

smoked a whole cigarette.

Recent use—(i.e., use of nicotine or

cigarettes during the past 5 days).

Q. During the past 5 days, did you

use any product containing nicotine,

including cigarettes, pipes, cigars,

chewing tobacco, snuff, nicotine

patches, nicotine gum, or any other

product containing nicotine?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who used nicotine in the

past 5 days are based on all adolescents.

Q. During the past 5 days

(including today), on how many days

did you smoke cigarettes?

The percent distribution of the

percentage of adolescents who smoked

cigarettes in the past 5 days is based on

all adolescents. Adolescents who used

other forms of nicotine are included in

the denominator. ‘‘Daily’’ is defined as

smoking cigarettes every day for 5 days.

‘‘Non-daily’’ is defined as smoking

cigarettes from 1 to 4 days in the past 5

days.

Q. During the past 5 days, on the

days you smoked, how many cigarettes

did you smoke each day?

The percent distribution of the

number of cigarettes smoked per day

during the 5 days before the survey is

based on adolescents who smoked

cigarettes in the past 5 days.

Alcohol use

The following questions were asked

in NHANES about alcohol use. As

defined in the survey, ‘‘alcohol’’

includes beer, wine, wine coolers, and

liquor such as rum, gin, vodka, or

whiskey; it does not include drinking a

few sips of wine for religious purposes.

Lifetime use—(i.e., had at least one

drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during

their lifetime).

Q. How old were you when you had

your first drink of alcohol, other than a

few sips?

Percent distributions are presented

for both (i) the age adolescents had their

first drink of alcohol, other than a few

sips, among all adolescents; and (ii) the

age adolescents had their first drink of

alcohol, other than a few sips, among

adolescents who reported an age when

they first had a drink of alcohol.

Q. During your life, on how many

days have you had at least one drink of

alcohol?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who had at least one drink

of alcohol on at least 1 day during their

lifetime are based on all adolescents.

The percent distribution of number of

days adolescents had at least one drink

of alcohol during their lifetime is based

on all adolescents.

Current use—(i.e., had at least one

drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during

the 30 days before the survey).

Q. During the past 30 days, on how

many days did you have at least one

drink of alcohol?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who had at least one drink

of alcohol on at least 1 day during the

30 days before the survey are based on

all adolescents. Percent distributions are
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009 Page 25

presented for both (i) the number of

days adolescents had at least one drink

on at least 1 day during the 30 days

before the survey, among all

adolescents; and (ii) the number of days

adolescents had at least one drink on at

least 1 day during the 30 days before

the survey, among adolescents who had

at least one drink on a least 1 day

during the past month.

Heavy (binge) use—(i.e., had five or

more drinks of alcohol in a row within a

couple of hours on at least 1 day during

the 30 days before the survey).

Q. During the past 30 days, on how

many days did you have 5 or more

drinks of alcohol in a row, that is,

within a couple of hours?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who had five or more drinks

of alcohol in a row within a couple of

hours on at least 1 day during the 30

days before the survey are based on all

adolescents. The percent distribution of

number of days adolescents had five or

more drinks of alcohol in a row within a

couple of hours on at least 1 day during

the 30 days before the survey is based

on all adolescents.

Illicit drug use

The following questions were asked

in NHANES about illicit drug use.

Lifetime use—(i.e., ever tried).

Q. Have you ever tried marijuana?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who ever tried marijuana are

based on all adolescents.

Q. How old were you when you

tried marijuana for the first time?

Percent distributions are presented

for both (i) the age first tried marijuana,

among all adolescents; and (ii) the age

first tried marijuana, among adolescents

who only reported an age when first

tried marijuana.

Q. During your life, how many times

have you used marijuana?

Percent distributions are presented

for both (i) the number of times

adolescents used marijuana in their

lifetime, among all adolescents; and (ii)

the number of times adolescents used

marijuana in their lifetime, among

adolescents who reported the number of

times they used marijuana in their

lifetime.

Q. Have you ever tried any form of

cocaine, including crack or freebase?

Estimates of the percentage of

adolescents who ever tried any form of

cocaine, including crack or freebase, are

based on all adolescents.

Q. How old were you when you

tried any form of cocaine, including

crack or freebase, for the first time?

The percent distribution of the age

adolescents first tried cocaine, including

crack or freebase, in their lifetime is

based on all adolescents.
Page 28 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 15 n May 20, 2009

Suggested citation

Fryar CD, Merino MC, Hirsch R, Porter KS.

Smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use

reported by adolescents aged 12–17 years:

United States, 1991–2004. National health

statistics reports; no 15. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the

public domain and may be reproduced or

copied without permission; citation as to

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Director

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D.

Acting Co-Deputy Directors

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D.
 

Michael H. Sadagursky
 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

3311 Toledo Road

Hyattsville, MD 20782

FIRST CLASS
 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID
 

CDC/NCHS
 

PERMIT NO. G-284
 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

To receive this publication regularly, contact

the National Center for Health Statistics by

calling 1–800–232–4636

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2009–1250

CS200278-B

T33889 (05/2009)