Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education

Although cigarette smoking accounts for the majority of youth tobacco use, it is important to monitor use of other tobacco products. These other products - cigars, smokeless tobacco, bidis, kreteks, and pipes - pose many of the same health risks as cigarettes and may present different dangers. For example, use of smokeless tobacco is associated with increased risk of cancer of the mouth, lips, and tongue, and little is known about the differential health effects of smoking bidis, whcih are unfiltered, leaf-wrapped cigarettes from india. Tracking teen use of these other tobacco products makes possible to identify emerging trends, which can be addressed through youth tobacco prevention education and cessation programs.