A profile of tobacco use among teenage dependents.

This study profiles tobacco use by 2,241 dependent teenagers in grades 6-12 at two Army posts. Data were collected in February 1989 by self-administered questionnaires. Results show 40.9% of dependent teenagers have tried smoking and 16.4% have tried smokeless tobacco. Most youths who tried tobacco did so experimentally. Current use is 10.4% smoking and 2.8% smokeless tobacco. While there is little difference in the proportion of boys and girls who have tried or currently smoke, trial and current use of smokeless tobacco is almost exclusively by males. Whites are more likely to ever use tobacco than other ethnic groups.