Discrimination Distress and Current Combustible and Non-combustible Tobacco Product Use Among US Youth, 2023.

Summary: When young people are treated unfairly because of who they are, it causes a lot of stress. Sometimes, they use tobacco to cope with these bad feelings. A big study in 2023 looked at over 22,000 kids in the US. It found that kids who face more unfair treatment are more likely to smoke or vape. Being treated unfairly by institutions, like at stores or by authorities, was especially linked to smoking things that burn, like cigarettes. To help kids stay healthy, we need to stop unfair treatment and give them better ways to handle stress.