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Issue 13 | November 9, 2010 |
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| Violence Prevention News |
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New national study reveals that nearly one in three adolescents participated in a violent behavior over the past year
Prevalence of violent behaviors is associated with factors such as academic performance and family income.
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| Substance Abuse Prevention News |
1 in 4 High School Students and Young Adults Report Binge Drinking
More than 1 in 4 high school students and adults ages 18 to 34 engaged in a dangerous behavior known as binge drinking during the past month, according to the findings from a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report shows that each year more than 33 million adults have reported binge drinking, defined as having four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men over a short period of time, usually a couple of hours. And the report said levels of binge drinking have not declined during the past 15 years.
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Teens Are Using Marijuana at Younger Ages
New data shows that the average age of first marijuana use is dropping. The White House Drug Policy Director warns of consequences of rising teen marijuana use.
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| Product Highlight |
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To purchase these and other prevention products, visit hazelden.org/bookstore
or call 800-328-9000.
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New national study reveals that nearly one in three adolescents participated in a violent behavior over the past year
Prevalence of violent behaviors is associated with factors such as academic performance and family income
A new national study reveals that nearly 7.8 million adolescents aged 12 to 17, almost one third (30.9 percent), participated in any of three violent behaviors over the past year. The study, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), showed that 22.6 percent of adolescents reported having participated in a serious fight at school or work; 16.1 percent reported involvement in group-against-group fighting; and 7.5 percent reported attacking others with intent to seriously hurt them.
Overall, male adolescents were more likely to engage in violent behaviors than females (34.6 percent versus 27.0 percent), but the study found other demographic and socioeconomic factors were also associated with an adolescent’s risk for violent behaviors.
One of the key factors seems to be family income. Adolescents from families with higher annual incomes are less likely to engage in violent behaviors than those from lower income families. For example, adolescents from families with annual incomes of $75,000 or more are far less likely to be involved in violent behaviors than adolescents from families with annual incomes of less than $20,000 (24.6 percent versus 40.5 percent).
The study also indicates that academic performance is also associated with risk for participating in violent behaviors measured. Adolescents with “A” averages in school were less than half as likely to be involved in violent behaviors as adolescents earning “D” averages in school (17.7 percent versus 53.8 percent).
Low academic performance even seems to transcend the association with family income as a risk factor for violent behaviors. Among adolescents with “D” averages, those coming from families with annual incomes of $75,000 had nearly identical rates of violent behaviors as those who came from families with annual incomes of less than $20,000 (54.5 percent versus 55.9 percent).
"Youth violence has long lasting, devastating consequences --the alarming rates of violence found by this study reinforce the importance of our efforts to prevent violence.” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "These rates also underscore the need to treat the psychological trauma that can result from youth exposure to violence. Community leaders and school officials can use this vital information in making decisions about creating safe learning environments, and effective treatment programs which can rebuild young lives and promote safer communities."
Violent Behaviors and Family Income among Adolescents is based on data from the 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health which involve interviews with 112,885 adolescents throughout the nation. This study was done as part of SAMHSA’s strategic initiative on data, outcomes, and quality – an effort to create an integrated data strategy that informs policy makers and service providers on the nature and scope of behavioral health issues.
The full report is available at www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/189/ViolentBehaviors.cfm. For related publications and information, visit samhsa.gov.
SOURCE: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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1 in 4 High School Students and Young Adults Report Binge Drinking
More than 1 in 4 high school students and adults ages 18 to 34 engaged in a dangerous behavior known as binge drinking during the past month, according to the findings from a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report shows that each year more than 33 million adults have reported binge drinking, defined as having four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men over a short period of time, usually a couple of hours. And the report said levels of binge drinking have not declined during the past 15 years.
The CDC report found men are more than twice as likely to binge drink than women (21 percent compared to 10 percent). It said binge drinking is more common among non-Hispanic whites (16 percent of whom binge drink) than among non-Hispanic blacks, (10 percent of whom binge drink).
"Binge drinking, increases many health risks, including fatal car crashes, contracting a sexually transmitted disease, dating violence, and drug overdoses," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Excessive alcohol use remains the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and leads to a wide range of health and social problems."
In this report, CDC scientists analyzed data on self reports of binge drinking within the past 30 days for about 412,000 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and for approximately 16,000 U.S. high school students from the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).
"Alarmingly, almost 1 in 3 adults and 2 in 3 high school students who drink alcohol also binge drink, which usually leads to intoxication," said Dr. Robert Brewer, M.D., M.P.H., alcohol program leader at CDC and one of the authors of the report. "Although most binge drinkers are not alcohol-dependent or alcoholics, they often engage in this high risk behavior without realizing the health and social problems of their drinking. States and communities need to consider further strategies to create an environment that discourages binge drinking."
Drinking too much, including binge drinking, causes more than 79,000 deaths in the United States each year. Binge drinkers also put themselves and others at risk of car crashes, violence, the risk of HIV transmission and sexually transmitted diseases, and unplanned pregnancy. Over time, drinking too much can lead to liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. Binge drinking can also cause harm to a developing fetus, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, if a woman drinks while pregnant.
Binge drinking varies widely from state to state, with estimates of binge drinking for adults ranging from 6.8 percent in Tennessee to 23.9 percent in Wisconsin. It is most common in the Midwest, North Central Plains, lower New England, Delaware, Alaska, Nevada, and the District of Columbia.
For more information on binge drinking, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns or www.cdc.gov/alcohol. Members of the public who are concerned about their own or someone else's binge drinking can call 1-800-662-HELP to receive assistance from the national Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service. For state-specific estimates of alcohol-related deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) by condition, visit the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) system at https://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ardi/HomePage.aspx.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Teens Are Using Marijuana at Younger Ages
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Policy (ONDCP), alerted parents to the heightened dangers of marijuana use that has risen sharply, with kids starting to use the drug at a younger age.
According to recently released data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there were 2.4 million new past-year users of marijuana in 2009 and the average age of initiation—first-time use of the drug—dropped from 17.8 in 2008 to 17.0 in 2009. The survey also reported a nine percent increase (from 6.7% to 7.3%) of current users of marijuana age 12 to 17 between 2008 and 2009.
Marijuana use is associated with dependence, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance, and cognitive impairment, among other negative effects. Although using drugs at any age can lead to addiction, research shows the earlier a person begins to use drugs, the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse and addiction—even later in life, after use has decreased, reflecting the harmful, long-lasting effects drugs can have on the developing brain. Research suggests the human brain is still maturing during the adolescent years, with significant changes continuing into the early 20s.
"Marijuana use is increasing, teens are starting to use the drug at younger ages, and attitudes about the dangers of drug use are eroding," said Kerlikowske. "We recognize American families are facing many challenges today, but failing to adequately prevent young people from using drugs now can lead to a lifetime of devastating consequences."
A renewed focus on drug prevention is a major component of the Obama Administration's effort to implement a public health approach to reducing drug abuse and its consequences. President Obama's FY 2011 Budget request includes an increase of more than $203 million in prevention funding—a 13 percent increase.
Last week, Director Kerlikowske cited three steps parents can take to protect young people from illegal drug use, including talking to kids about drugs, learning to spot risk factors, and going through medicine cabinets to remove expired, un-needed, or unused prescription drugs. For more tips and parenting resources, visit: www.TheAntiDrug.com.
SOURCE: Office of National Drug Control Polilcy
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