NCJ Number
233634
Date Published
April 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on trends and national averages in data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for the years 2002 through 2007, this report examines trends in the rate of exposure of adolescents to substance-use prevention messages from 2002 to 2007.
Abstract
From 2002 to 2007, data from the NSDUH indicate decreases in the percentages of adolescents ages 12 to 17 reporting exposure to drug-use or alcohol-use prevention messages through media sources (from 83.2 to 77.9 percent) and prevention programs outside of school (from 12.7 percent to 11.3 percent); however, the percentage of youth who had talked with their parents about the dangers of alcohol, drug, or tobacco use in the past year increased (from 58.1 percent to 59.6 percent). Combined data from 2002 to 2007 indicate that females were more likely than males to have talked with a parent about the dangers of substance use, to have received prevention messages through media sources, and to have received prevention messages through school sources in the past year. The percentage of adolescents who talked with a parent about the dangers of substance use decreased with age, with 61.6 percent of those ages 12 or 13, 59.5 percent of those aged 14 or 15, and 57.1 percent of those aged 16 or 17 indicating that they had talked with a parent about substance use in the past year; however, the percentage of youth receiving prevention message through media sources increased with age. Generally, adolescents who reported having been exposed to substance use prevention messages in the past year were less likely than those who were not exposed to have used cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs in the past month. This report reinforces findings from previous studies that show the effectiveness of parental and school commitment in preventing substance-use among youth. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 5 notes