Wisconsin high school and middle school smoking rates have hit an all-time low

From DPI:

We have exciting news to report! Wisconsin high school and middle school smoking rates have hit an all-time low, according to the 2012 Youth Tobacco Survey. The high school rate has fallen from 17.7% in 2010 to 13.1% in 2012 (a 26% decrease) and the middle school rate has fallen from 3.9 % in 2010 to 2.5% in 2012 (a 36% decrease). http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/news/PressReleases/2012/121012.htm

Our comprehensive approach to prevention programming is working in Wisconsin. We should all take pride in knowing that as a result of our hard work, fewer Wisconsinites will suffer from tobacco-related illness and death.

A new resource to help school staff use data is now available on the DPI website called: Using Student Survey Data to Engage Student Learning: Using the 2011 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey at http://sspw.dpi.wi.gov/files/sspw/pdf/hesurveydata.pdf. Feel free to use this new resource and pass it along to other interested parties. More tobacco prevention information, resources, and webinars are available on our website at:http://sspw.dpi.wi.gov/sspw_tobaccoprog.

Brenda M. Jennings, MSE
Tobacco and Suicide Prevention Consultant
Safe & Supportive Schools Project Officer
Department of Public Instruction
www.dpi.wi.gov