Cigarettes Smoked per Day Among High School Students in the U.S., 1991–2009

Background Recent declines in current cigarette smoking among youth are encouraging, but less is known about the trends in the number of cigarettes smoked per day among youth. Purpose This study examined trends in the number of cigarettes smoked per day among U.S. high school students during 1991–2009. Methods Nationally representative data from the 1991–2009 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) were analyzed in 2010. The YRBS is a biennial, school-based survey representative of 9th- through 12th-grade students in the U.S. Each survey year, students completed anonymous, self-administered questionnaires that included identically worded questions about cigarette use. The number of cigarettes smoked per day on smoking days was categorized as light smoking (