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Dayton Medicine is published quarterly by the Montgomery County Medical Society.
Editor: Gerri Creel
Story by: Phillip Neal

Biennial survey shows drug and alcohol use declining among middle and high school students, but still a serious problem

By 12th grade, nearly 45 percent have tried illicit drugs; more than 70 percent have drunk alcohol

Results of the 2008 Dayton Area Drug Survey (DADS) indicate that fewer students have tried or regularly use illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco than in past years, but overall use, especially among older students, remains a serious problem.

The 2008 survey consisted of a voluntary, anonymous questionnaire completed by 17,315 students from 7th to 12th grade in 17 Dayton area school districts. Roughly 83 percent of the respondents self-identified as white, most lived in suburban areas, and the group included nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.

First administered in 1990, DADS is a biennial study conducted by the Center for Interventions, Treatment, and Addictions Research (CITAR) at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in collaboration with Unified Health Solutions and area school districts. The study aims to monitor patterns of drug and alcohol use among young people to provide data that can help inform policy and programs within schools and in the community.

The data can also be useful for physicians, especially those who care for adolescents and young adults, or even their parents or other family members, according to Russel Falck, M.A., assistant professor of community health and associate director of CITAR.

“It gives physicians some sense of the nature and extent of involvement with alcohol and other drugs these young people have,” Falck said. “That could influence some practice decisions and how they go about addressing the issue, proactively and reactively—proactively by providing tips and pointers for parents in terms of preventive philosophies and actions, and reactively in terms of dealing with the sequelae of drug use, as well as detecting drug use.”

The 2008 survey found that alcohol remains the most widely used drug. More than 70 percent of 12th graders reported having tried alcohol, 54.3 percent have been drunk at least once, and 27.2 percent had five or more drinks in a row during the two weeks before the survey. Among 9th graders, 45.7 percent have tried alcohol, 24.7 percent have been drunk, and 9 percent had five or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks. The corresponding percentages for 7th graders are 21.2 percent, 6.2 percent, and 2.5 percent, respectively.

Among high school seniors, 39.8 percent reported any cigarette use, down from 43.4 percent in 2006. Similar decreases occurred among 9th and 7th graders. While fewer students are smoking, rates of daily or heavy smoking were essentially unchanged.

“Teenagers’ use of alcohol and tobacco is significant, because it can result in a variety of serious and lasting health and social consequences,” Falck said. “In addition, tobacco and alcohol are  ‘gateway drugs,’ whose use can lead to abuse of other drugs.”

By 12th grade, 44.3 percent of students have used an illicit drug at least once, including 39.4 percent who have tried marijuana/hashish (a slight decline from 2006). Among younger students, 16.2 percent of 9th graders and fewer than 2 percent of 7th graders report having tried marijuana/hashish. Experience with other illicit drugs by 12th graders varied, with decreases in the percentage who have tried cocaine HCl, crack, and methamphetamine, and slight increases for prescription opiates or tranquilizers, MDMA (ecstasy), and heroin.

The 2008 survey also included the CRAFFT screening tool for adolescent substance abuse for the first time. In isolation, the tool can only suggest the existence of a problem and the value of further assessment, but the survey results raise troubling implications, according to Falck.

“A significant number of young people involved with alcohol and other drugs may have—or have recently had—very serious abuse and tendency problems,” Falck said.

The survey also covered behaviors and attitudes aside from drug use. For instance, among high school seniors, 45.8 percent reported riding in a vehicle when they believed the driver was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and 28.7 percent reported driving under the influence themselves. In the 30 days prior to the survey, 26.5 percent of 7th graders, 22.8 percent of 9th graders, and 12.3 percent of 12th graders felt bullied by other teens, and 16.4 percent, 12.1 percent, and 7.8 percent, respectively, got into a physical fight with someone. During the same time period, 4 percent of 7th graders, 5.7 percent of 9th graders, and 14.8 percent of 12th graders missed school without permission.

On a positive note, some 89.1 percent of students currently consider themselves happy or very happy with their lives.

For a complete summary of the 2008 DADS and numerous data tables, visit http://www.med.wright.edu/citar/dads/

 

Dayton Medicine Archives

2008

Winter: HealthLink Information Exchange (HIEx™): Improving quality of care while reducing medical errors and overall costs
Summer: Wright State University graduates inaugural class of physician leaders: The Boonshoft Physician Leadership Development Program offering dual degrees in either M.D./M.P.H. or M.D./M. b.a. is unique in the nation
Fall: Wright State University graduates inaugural class of physician leaders

2007

Winter: Medical Education Facilities for the 21st Century
Spring: Neuroscience Research Advances at Wright State
Fall: Medical Health on Campuses

2006

Winter: New Teaching Strategy Promotes Team Work
Spring: Research Focuses on Genetic Epidemiology
Fall: Ohio EDG2E Medicine Center: A WIN/WIN Proposal

2005

Winter: Regional and State Involvement for Wright State’s School of Medicine
Spring: The Miami Valley's National Tresure turns 75
Fall: On The Front Lines of Disaster

2004

Winter: Scholarship Programs Make a Difference
Spring
: Wright State School of Medicine Offers New Dual Degree Programs
Fall:
Access to Disaster Education

2003

Winter: Academy of Medicine Makes Crucial Investment in Tomorrow’s Work Force
Spring: Responding to the Terrorism Requires Preparation
Summer:
Aerospace Medicine Program Achieves Milestone
Fall: Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population

2002

February: Community Grant Assists Physicians and Residents
April: Voluntary Faculty—Innovation to Tradition
August
: Renewed Debate: Is There a Physician Shortage?
December: State Awards Regional Partnership $9 Million to Develop Genome Research Infrastructure

2001

February: Dr. William Hurd Brings Multiple Dimensions to Obstetrics/ Gynecology Chair
April: Wright State's Lifespan Health Research Center Broadens the Investigation of Human Variation
June: Wright State's Gene Expression Laboratory Brings an Innovative Technology to the Miami Valley
August
: Caring for Children Community Wide
October
: Going Virtual: Creating Educational Resources for Tomorrow
December: Thinking the Unthinkable: Responding to Bioterrorism

2000

December: New Curriculum Maintains Traditions
October: Wright State Establishes a New Division
August: Wright State Launches New Research Initiatives
June
: Wright State's Emergency Medicine Department Sends Humanitarian Mission to Mozambique
April: WSU Academy of Medicine Invests in the Profession's Future Excellence
February: Reach Out of Montgomery County Thrives After 5 Years of Volunteer Service

1999

December: A "Once-in-a-Lifetime" Opportunity
October: Emergency Medicine Research Explores Brain Adaptations to EdemaAugust
Surgeon General David Satcher to Wright State: "Make the American Dream Come True for Others"
June: Leadership Changes at Wright State University School of Medicine
April: The Challenge of AIDS in Africa: "Treat The Person, Not A Statistic"
February: Wright State's Voluntary Faculty: Partner's For A Healthy Community

1998

December: Mentoring Makes A Difference -- Alonzo Patterson, M.D.
October: NASA Doctors who will support John Glenn were trained at Wright State
August: "Doctors Who Care" by Jordan Cohen, President for the Association of American Medical Colleges
June
: Leadership Changes At Wright State
April
: New Research Initiatives at Wright State Use Genetic Models to Understand Hypertension
February: Safeguarding the 'Future Diary' Encoded in the Human Genome

1997

December: Dayton's Community Partnerships Win Top National Honors from AAMC
October: DAGMEC, Dayton Shares Resources for Innovative Graduate Medical Education
August
: Curriculum Changes at Wright State Aim for Better Clinical Preparation
June: Frequent Flyers Beware: Preventing "Economy Class Syndrome"
April
: International Collaboration Changes The Face of Emergency Medicine in China
February: The State of the Medical School - 1997: A Vision for the Next Century

1996

December: Research Update Training the Next Generation of Biomedical Scientists
October: Moving Beyond Vesalius -- New Approaches to Anatomy Education
August
: Enabling World -- Class Athletes With Disabilities to Go for the Gold
June: Investing in the Future of Geriatric Medical Education
April
: Injury Prevention: Dayton's Health -- Care Community Unites to Tackle a Pervasive Public Health Issue
February
: The State of the Medical School - 1996

1995

December: 1995 Research Update: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration