Substance Use Among Adolescents

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Substance Use Among Adolescents

• Public Policy Analysis Education Center for
  Middle Childhood, Adolescent Young Adult Health
  and
• National Adolescent Health Information Center,
• Department of Pediatrics Institute for Health
  Policy Studies, University of California, San
  Francisco

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Healthy People 2010 21 Critical Health Objectives
for Adolescents Young Adults
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Background

• Substance use is often initiated at age 12 or 13.
• Individuals who experiment with drugs during
  adolescence are more likely to use drugs in
  adulthood.
• Adolescents use alcohol more than any other
  substance.

Source SAMHSA, 2006 Johnston et al., 2005
Johnston et al., 2006
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Background Any Past Month Use

• Among 12th graders, 2005
• Alcohol 47
• Cigarette 23
• Marijuana 20
• Illicit Drug (other than marijuana) 10

Source Johnston et al., 2006
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BackgroundAny Past Month Use at School

• Any use on school property by 12th graders, 2005
• Cigarette 8
• Smokeless tobacco 5
• Alcohol 5
• Marijuana 4

Source YRBSS, 2006
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BackgroundHeavy Past Month Use

• Among 12th graders, 2005
• Binge Drinking 28
• Cigarette
• Any daily use 14
• 1/2 pack daily 7
• Daily Marijuana 5
• Daily Alcohol 3

Binge Drinking Having 5 drinks on one or more
occasion in past 2 weeks Source Johnston et
al., 2006
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Background

• Male and female adolescents ages 12-17 have
  similar rates of substance use, according to 2004
  data.
• Past month substance use differs by
  race/ethnicity for 12-17 year-olds
• American Indian/Alaskan Natives have the highest
  rates of binge or heavy alcohol use, cigarette
  use and illicit drug use
• Whites have the highest rate of any alcohol use
  Hispanics are in the middle, and Asians have the
  lowest rate.

Source SAMHSA, 2006
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Trends

• For the most part, substance use for adolescents
  declined from 1975 to 2005
• Record-high rates in the late 1970s
• Low rates in early 1990s and 2003/2004
• Rates have been steadily decreasing or
  stabilizing during the past decade.

Source Johnston et al., 2006
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Trends

• Illicit drug use has increased somewhat among
  12th graders during the past fifteen years while
  certain types of drugs have been re-discovered
  by young people and increased in use, overall
  illicit drug use was not impacted greatly
• Marijuana use (past month) from 14 in 1991 to
  20 in 2005.
• Prescription-type drugs are misused more today
  than in the early 1990s 14 report past year use
  of these drugs (e.g., sedatives, tranquilizers)
  without medical supervision in 2005.

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Trends in Illicit Drug Use, Past Year
Percent Who Used Illicit Drugs in Past 12 Months
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
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Trends in Marijuana Use, Past Year
Percent Who Used Marijuana in Past 12 Months
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
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Trends in Cigarette Use, Past Month
Percent Who Used Cigarettes in Past 30 Days
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
13
Trends in Alcohol Use, Past Month
Percent Who Used Alcohol in Past 30 Days
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
14
Trends in Binge Drinking, Past 2 Weeks
Percent Who Had 5 Drinks in a Row in Previous 2
Weeks
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
15
Trends in Ecstasy (MDMA) Use, Past Year
Percent Who Used Ecstasy in Past 12 Months
Source Johnston et al., December 19, 2005
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Resources

• For more information about the 21 Critical Health
  Objectives and the National Initiative to Improve
  Adolescent Young Adult Health, visit
  
• http//nahic.ucsf.edu/nationalinitiative/ or
  http//www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/AdolescentHealth/N
  ationalInitiative/
• For more resources on Substance Use, visit
• Non-Federal Resources http//nahic.ucsf.edu/index.
  php/niiah/article/non_federal_resources/
• Partner Resources Database http//nahic.ucsf.edu/i
  ndex.php/partner_resources/

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References

• J ohnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J.
  G., Schulenberg, J. E. (2005). Monitoring the
  Future National Survey Results on Drug Use,
  1975-2004. Volume I Secondary School Students
  (NIH Publication No. 05-5727). Bethesda, MD
  National Institute on Drug Abuse. Available
  online at URL (7/06) http//www.monitoringthefutu
  re.org/
• Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G.,
  Schulenberg, J. E. (2006). Monitoring the
  Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use
  Overview of Key Findings, 2005 (NIH Publication
  No. 06-5882). Bethesda, MD National Institute on
  Drug Abuse. Available online at URL (7/06)
  http//www.monitoringthefuture.org/
• Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G.,
  Schulenberg, J. E. (2005, December 19).
  National press release, "Teen drug use down but
  progress halts among youngest teens. University
  of Michigan News Service, Ann Arbor. Available
  online at URL (7/06) http//www.monitoringthefutu
  re.org/
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System YRBSS.
  Youth Online Comprehensive Results Online
  Database. Available online at URL (7/06)
  http//apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
  Administration SAMHSA. (2005). Results from the
  2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  National Findings (Office of Applied Studies,
  NSDUH Series H-28, DHHS Publication No. SMA
  05-4062). Rockville, MD. Available online at URL
  (7/06) http//oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm

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National Adolescent Health Information Center
and Public Policy Analysis Education Center
for Middle Childhood, Adolescent Young Adult
Health
WEB SITES http//nahic.ucsf.edu/ http//p
olicy.ucsf.edu/ EMAIL
nahic_at_ucsf.edu policycenter_at_ucsf.edu PHONE
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