2021 Findings on Youth E-Cigarette Use   

In September 2021, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released findings from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “E-Cigarette Use among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2021.” We plan to publish additional findings on youth use of all tobacco products within the next few months.

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Methodological changes made this year to conduct the survey during the COVID-19 pandemic prevent year-to-year comparisons of this year’s data to previous surveys. Data were collected using an online survey to allow eligible students to participate in the classroom, at home or in some other place to account for various school settings during this time. Prior to the pandemic, the survey was conducted exclusively in the classroom at school. 

Nonetheless, youth e-cigarette use remains an ongoing concern as the survey found that more than 2 million U.S. middle school and high school e-cigarette users used e-cigarettes in 2021, and almost 85 percent of youths using e-cigarettes used flavored products.

Goals of NYTS

FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses public health issues associated with tobacco use. We collaborate with CDC on this nationally representative survey of middle and high school students that focuses exclusively on tobacco use. 

NYTS was designed to provide national data on long-term, intermediate, and short-term indicators key to the design, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs.

For a deeper look at the agencies’ collaboration on the study over the years, see CDC’s “Historical NYTS Data and Documentation.” 

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