Nicotine use among reservation-area American Indian adolescents compared with a national sample

Abstract

BackgroundPast research has found significant nicotine use disparities for reservation-area American Indian adolescents when compared to national levels. However, adolescent nicotine use has changed markedly, with reduced smoking and rapid increases in nicotine vaping. This study presents 2021–2022 prevalence estimates of tobacco product use, perceived harm and availability for reservation-area American Indian youth, with comparisons to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) national study. MethodsParticipants were 8th, 10th and 12th grade students. American Indian data were 33 reservation-area schools in 2021–2022 (n=2420); MTF data were 308 schools in Spring 2022 (n=31,438). Measures were lifetime, 30-day cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco use, and nicotine vaping; past-year nicotine vaping; daily smoking; perceived harmfulness and availability of these tobacco products. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were computed by grade. ResultsEstimated prevalence of lifetime, monthly and daily cigarette smoking among American Indian 8th and 10th graders was higher than national levels. Nicotine vaping prevalence was similar between samples. American Indian students were less likely to report tobacco product use poses great risk, but also less likely to report tobacco products are easily available. ConclusionsAlthough estimated smoking prevalence among American Indian 8th and 10th graders was higher than national levels, prevalence appears lower than reported in earlier studies, suggesting declining disparities. Prevalence of nicotine vaping among reservation-area American Indian adolescents generally mirrors the national population; however, a lower percentage reported regular nicotine vaping poses a serious risk. This discrepancy suggests a need for prevention and intervention efforts culturally tailored for this population.