Changes in the cigarette brand preferences of adolescent smokers--United States, 1989-1993.

Approximately three million U.S. adolescents are smokers, and they smoke nearly one billion packs of cigarettes each year. The average age at which smokers try their first cigarette is 14 1/2 years, and approximately 70% of smokers become regular smokers by age 18 years. Evaluating the changes in the brand preferences of young smokers can help identify factors that influence adolescents' brand choice and may suggest smoking-prevention strategies. This report examines changes in the brand preferences of teenaged smokers from 1989 to 1993 using data from CDC's 1993 Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey (TAPS-II) and comparing them with data from the 1989 TAPS.