The South Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey (SCYTS) is a comprehensive survey designed to evaluate prevalence of tobacco use, age of initiation and access to tobacco products. It also includes data on school curriculum, knowledge and attitudes, attitudes toward cessation and readiness to quit, mass media influences, and secondhand smoke exposure. As a surveillance tool, SCYTS monitors key behaviors and attitudes toward tobacco. As an evaluation tool, the survey is intended to document the Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control's progress over time, to recognize groups at risk and to identify areas to strengthen the Division's activities and strategies.
The SCYTS was conducted in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011. A two-stage cluster sample design was used to select a representative sample of public middle (containing any of grades 6-8) and high school students (containing any of grades 9-12) in South Carolina. In the first-stage schools were selected with probability proportional to school enrollment size. In all, 50 middle schools and 50 high schools were chosen. The second sampling stage consisted of systematic equal probability sampling of approximately two classes from each school. All students in the selected classes were eligible to participate in the survey. The middle school response rate was 82%. The middle school student response rate was 84% yielding an overall response rate (school rate x student rate) of 68.9% for middle school. In 2011, a total of 1,582 middle school students completed the SCYTS.
Prevalence33% of students had ever used any tobacco product (Male 35.1%, Female 30.6%) Secondhand Smoke (SHS)19.9% live in homes where others smoke Cessation - Current Smokers47.6% want to quit smoking Pro-health Media vs Tobacco Advertising60.5% saw or heard anti-smoking media messages in the past month School51.2% were taught the dangers of tobacco in the past year Access and Availability - Current Smokers < 18 years old2.5% buy cigarettes in stores |
Middle School HighlightsMore than 3 in 10 students have ever used tobacco; 14% currently use some form of tobacco; 6% currently smoke cigarettes; SHS exposure is very high - about 4 in 10 students were in the same room with smokers during the week. About 9 in 10 students think smoke from others is harmful to them. More than 40% of current smokers want to quit smoking. About 6 in 10 students saw or heard anti-smoking media messages in the past month. More than half of the students were taught the dangers of tobacco at school in past year. Less than 1 in 20 students said that their school had a program to help students quit. Almost 7 in 10 middle school current smokers of age < 18 years old obtain their cigarettes from friends, family or others. |
1 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 SCYTS results
2 Detailed 2011 YTS tables including 95% confidence intervals are available upon request.
3 New and emerging tobacco products include roll-your-own cigarettes, flavored cigarettes, clove cigars, flavored little cigarettes, smoking from hookah or a waterpipe, snus, dissolvable products, E-cigarettes or some other new tobacco product.