E-cigarettes, Hookahs Popular among Teens; CDC Report Shows

Many teens in the U.S. are using e-cigarettes and hookahs now more than before, a new report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

There has been no decrease in the use of other tobacco products among teenagers, CDC added.

For the study, researchers looked at data from 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). They found that electronic cigarette use has risen from 0.6 percent in 2011 to 1.1 percent in 2012 in middle-school children and from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent in high school students.

Use of hookah among high school students grew from 4.1 percent to 5.4 percent from 2011 to 2012.

Also, there is a rise in teens smoking cigars. In 2011-, cigar use in black students increased from 11.7 percent to 16.7 percent, which is double of what it used to be in 2009.

The popularity of hookahs and e-cigarettes could be attributed to increased marketing. People also think they are safer.

"This report raises a red flag about newer tobacco products," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D. "Cigars and hookah tobacco are smoked tobacco - addictive and deadly. We need effective action to protect our kids from addiction to nicotine."

"A large portion of kids who use tobacco are smoking products other than cigarettes, including cigars and hookahs, which are similarly dangerous," said Tim McAfee, M.D., director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, according to a news release.

Cigarette smoking causes more than 80 percent deaths due to lung cancer. Smoking is linked with cancers of liver, bowel, pancreas, bladder and ovary as well. Smoking affects not just the smoker but also those around them. Secondhand smoke can cause heart disease, breathing problems, lung cancer, dementia and respiratory tract infections.

The report is published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.