Marlboro, Newport and Camel cigarettes are the most popular brands among smokers ages 13-18, accounting for 78 percent of youth cigarette use, according to the American Legacy Foundation.

A survey of about 3,500 teens found that 50 percent said Marlboro was their favorite brand, followed by 14 percent for Newport and 14 percent for Camel. Whites and Hispanics were more likely to prefer Marlboro, while more blacks preferred Newport.

Thirty-seven percent of youths smoked menthol cigarettes, while about 40 percent said they smoked "light" cigarettes, the Cigarette Preferences Among Youth study found. About half of young smokers had heard of cigarettes with flavors other than menthol, and 11 percent had tried other flavors.

"Given that the tobacco industry spends nearly $36 million marketing its products each day, it's not surprising that American youth have particular cigarette type preferences," said American Legacy Foundation president and CEO Cheryl Healton. "Every day 4,000 American youth try their first cigarette and this survey shows us that the tobacco industry's effective marketing drives their decisions to smoke specific cigarettes."