MADISON, WI (WSAU) Teenage smoking rates are down to an all-time low in Wisconsin at 10.7-percent for high schoolers and 1.6-percent for middle school students. 15 years ago the state’s high school smoking rate was above 32-percent.
A new report from Public Health Madison & Dane County, however, shows smoking rates are still higher than the state average for certain groups. The Native American smoking rate is at 30-percent, 32-percent for African-Americans, and 28-percent for the LGBT community.
The statewide average is 17-percent, down from 21-percent of Wisconsin residents who smoked in 2011. The national smoking rate among adults is also 17-percent.
The MetroSource news wire contributed to this report.
