Effort to Decrease Tobacco Use Among Rural Youth

A report by the American Lung Association shows tobacco use is more common in rural areas. In Wisconsin, some communities and schools are targeting rural youth to help them quit.

The report by the American Lung Association shows smoking is 23 percent more common for those who live in rural areas compared to those residing in cities. Additionally, rural youth start using tobacco earlier than their urban counterparts do.

Donna Wininsky is with the Wisconsin chapter of the American Lung Association. She says social acceptance of smoking varies in different places. “Some of the cultural norms are from the rural and farming community: grandfather smoked, mom and dad smoke. The kids grow up with smoking. It’s what they see and what they feel as normal.”

Some Wisconsin communities are trying to change that using a national anti-smoking program aimed at youth. The Mauston School District has worked with 125 students using the Not On Tobacco campaign. About a third of the teens quit smoking, and citations for smoking on school grounds dropped to zero by the fifth year of the program.

High cigarette taxes can also be a deterrent. However, Wininsky notes that the taxes are not the same on all tobacco products. She says, “A lot of these other products, including the smokeless products, are taxed much lower so they’re a lot less expensive. Then when you couple that with candy flavors and the fruit flavors the tobacco industry is putting into them, they become some pretty attractive alternatives.”

The American Lung Association report says smokeless tobacco use is twice as common in rural areas.