The biennial survey, which analyzes high school students’ health habits ranging from diet and physical activity to mental health and substance use, has reported that smoking rates have declined among the cohort. More importantly, highlighted the findings, vaping rates have started declining too after peaking in 2019.

More specifically, in 2021 among Vermont high schoolers, 5.4% reported smoking at least once in the 30 days prior. This is a 21.7% decrease from 2019’s rates and a whopping 83.9% decline from 1993 when more than one-third (33.5%) of Vermont high schoolers were currently smoking. Moreover only 2.8% of high schoolers were currently using smokeless tobacco products, which was a 20% decrease from 2019 and a 45.2% decline from 2017, when 5.2% of students were currently using smokeless tobacco.

Additionally, only 33.3% of Vermont high school students reported ever trying a vape, while 16.1% had vaped at least in the 30 days prior to the survey. This equates to a drop of 33.1% in ever-trying an e-cigarette and one of 39% in current use.

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