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nulagrithom | 7 years ago

Why are there conflicting reports on the stats from the CDC?

The CDC's website[1] says there's been a 0.6% increase in vaping in middle school and 1.5% increase in high school since 2011. This advisory however says "E-cigarette use among U.S. middle and high school students increased 900% during 2011-2015, before declining for the first time during 2015-2017." Was there a nearly 899% drop in 2015-2017?

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/yout...

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dragonwriter|7 years ago

> Why are there conflicting reports on the stats from the CDC?

There aren't.

> The CDC's website[1] says there's been a 0.6% increase in vaping in middle school and 1.5% increase in high school

No, it doesn't. The 0.6% and 1.5% numbers appear, but as the base incidence in 2011 from which an increase occurred, not the percent increase. Quoting the relevant passage of your own source (emphasis added):

“Nearly 5 of every 100 middle school students (4.9%) reported in 2018 that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days—an increase from 0.6% in 2011.”

“Nearly 21 of every 100 high school students (20.8%) reported in 2018 that they used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days—an increase from 1.5% in 2011.”

There is a difference between an “an increase FROM x% IN 2011” and “an increase OF x SINCE 2011”; you seem to have confused the former for the latter.

The middle school increase reported is 717%; the high school increase reported is 1287%. There is nothing obviously inconsistent with aggregate 900% increase 2011-2015 with a slight aggregate decline thereafter.

nulagrithom|7 years ago

Yes, yayana explained my error pretty succinctly before you did...

yayana|7 years ago

A rise from 0.6% to 4.9%.. 0.5->5 would be 1000%. I think you misread the CDC numbers.