Colorado’s high school and middle school students are using e-cigarettes, or vaping nicotine products, at twice the national average, according to a recent study by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado youth reported the highest e-cigarette usage rate of any of the 37 states surveyed.
“Vaping has replaced cigarettes as a way for underage youth to use nicotine,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Too many of our young people don’t realize the health risks involved.”
The 2017 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, a sampling of 56,000 middle and high school students conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, shows that while only about 7 percent of Colorado youth smoke cigarettes, 27 percent are using e-cigarettes. Just fewer than 45 percent of respondents said they tried e-cigarettes last year, making it the second most tried substance among the state’s youth behind alcohol (59 percent).
The study was broken up into 21 regions in Colorado. The region that includes Summit, Garfield, Eagle, Grand and Pitkin counties showed slightly higher rates than the state as a whole, with 9 percent smoking cigarettes and 36 percent using e-cigarettes.
The study also dives into the risk perception and access surrounding e-cigarettes. Even though it’s illegal for minors to purchase e-cigarettes, 58 percent of respondents said they were easy to get. While Colorado youth agree that smoking cigarettes is a risky activity, only about 50 percent believe that vaping nicotine products come with risk. But research shows otherwise.
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