The Montana Office of Public Instruction recently published a special report showing that high school students who smoke are also more likely to participate in other high-risk behaviors than nonsmokers.  The list below highlights some of the health risk behaviors along with the percentage of smokers and nonsmokers who reported that they engaged in these behaviors. 

 

Montana youth who are smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to have:

 

• driven a car after drinking in the past thirty days (33% of smokers vs. 8% nonsmokers).

 

• been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past year (16% of smokers vs. 7% of nonsmokers).

 

• attempted suicide in the past year (15% of smokers vs. 5% of nonsmokers).

 

• used chewing tobacco or snuff during the past 30 days (32% of smokers vs. 10% of nonsmokers).

 

• had five or more drinks of alcohol within a couple of hours during the past 30 days (66% of smokers vs. 21% of nonsmokers).

 

• used marijuana in their lifetime (80% of smokers vs. 8% of nonsmokers).

 

• had sexual intercourse in their lifetime (80% of smokers vs. 39% of nonsmokers).

 

This special report utilized data from the 2009 Montana Youth Risk Behavior survey. Click here for the complete report.