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One of eight middle-school students use tobacco at least once a month, and one of five high-school boys smoke cigars, according to the most comprehensive survey on teen usage of all tobacco products. The survey, released Thursday, is the first to look at tobacco use by middle-school students.

"These numbers are stunning and real cause for concern," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Myers said the survey also found a disturbing trend among African- American teens. Historically, they have smoked less than whites or Hispanics at the high-school level. But, at the middle-school level, their smoking rate of 9% is comparable. "We potentially have an epidemic of tobacco use by African- Americans of a new dimension," he said.

Also alarming: Flavored cigarettes have become nearly as popular as smokeless tobacco. Five percent of high-school students say they smoke bidis -- tiny, often unfiltered cigarettes from India -- at least once a month. Slightly more smoke clove cigarettes, known as kreteks. Participating in the $2 million survey were 15,000 students at 131 schools. The survey was completed in October and commissioned by the American Legacy Foundation, a non-profit group created by the tobacco settlement agreement of 1998 between the tobacco industry and 46 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will publish the findings today on the Internet (www.cdc.gov/tobacco).