New Findings on Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use Among Underage Drinkers

Source: SAMHSA eNetwork, 4/11/2008
In 2006, a majority (53.9 percent) of American adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20 had used an alcoholic beverage at least once in their lifetime. Young people aged 12 to 20 consumed approximately 11.2 percent of the alcoholic drinks consumed in the United States in the past month by persons aged 12 or older. Research shows that underage drinkers tend to consume more alcohol per occasion than those over the legal minimum drinking age of 21.
The following are brief findings from the report:

Combined 2005 and 2006 data indicate that an annual average of 28.3 percent of persons aged 12 to 20 in the United States (an estimated 10.8 million persons annually) drank alcohol in the past month.

Past-month alcohol users aged 12 to 20 drank on an average of 5.9 days in the past month and consumed an average of 4.9 drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month.
Underage drinkers aged 12 to 20 consumed, on average, more drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month than persons aged 21 or older (4.9 vs. 2.8 drinks).

Download NSDUH Report:
Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers (256 KB)
http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/underage/underage.pdf

Youth Drinking Prevention Less Effective in Urban Community

Source: Jointogether.org Research Summary, 3/19/2008
A model prevention program that worked well in rural communities did not achieve the same results in curbing drinking among middle-school students in an urban area, a new study finds.

Science Daily reported March 17 that researchers said that Project Northland, a prevention program that reduced alcohol use 20-30 percent over three years in rural Minnesota, had no impact on middle-schoolers in Chicago who took part in the program versus those who did not.

Study lead author Kelli A. Komro of the University of Florida College of Medicine said the negative findings in Chicago surprised researchers. “This is an important finding to realize this program was not enough,” said Komro. “The bottom line is this: Low-income children in urban areas need more, long-term intensive efforts.”

The program stressed three main messages: that drinking is unacceptable in school, at home, and in the community. The project was student-led in schools, family oriented at home, and spearheaded by neighborhood volunteers at the community level. But project leaders had difficulty getting urban community leaders engaged on the issue of youth alcohol use.

“People in these areas are concerned with housing, they’re concerned with gangs and other drug use,” Komro said. “There was a whole upfront effort where we had to educate people about how alcohol was related to those other issues, and that it was an important issue to think about with their young people.”

There was at least one positive result from the Chicago study, however: after community teams visited alcohol stores and urged owners not to sell to minors, local youth reported a 64-percent decline in their ability to buy alcohol.

The study was published online in the journal Addiction.

This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.

Voices of Strength Conference & Pre Conference Institute : in Denver 5/1-5/3 2008

The Rocky Mountain Region’s Premier Positive Youth Development Conference is back, and you won’t want to miss it!

The Voices of Strength Conference is a place where you can take time to learn, reflect, network, and renew your commitment to positive youth development and building healthy communities.

This year’s event includes in-depth Pre Conference sessions, an exciting lineup of keynote speakers, and more than 50 conference learning sessions on a wide range of topics.

Early bird registration ends April 1! Don’t wait, register today!

Click here to learn more about the conference and the sessions being offered. To register online visit www.regonline.com/vos2008.

CSAP Grant: STOP Act

Request for Applications (RFA) No. SP-08-004
Posting on Grants.gov: March 6, 2008
Receipt Date: April 9, 2008
Announcement Type: Initial

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2008 for Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) grants.

The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States. It was created to strengthen collaboration among communities, the Federal Government, and state, local and tribal governments; to enhance intergovernmental cooperation and coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth; to serve as a catalyst for increased citizen participation and greater collaboration among all sectors and organizations of a community that first demonstrates a long-term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth; and to disseminate to communities timely information regarding state-of-the-art practices and initiatives that have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing alcohol use among youth.

Download the Complete Announcement No. SP-08-004:
Download RFA in Adobe PDF Format  (614 KB)

Funding Mechanism:Grant
Due Date for Applications:April 9, 2008
Anticipated Total Available Funding:$3.93 million
Anticipated Number of Awards:Up to 80
Anticipated Award Amount:Up to $50,000 per year
Length of Project Period:Up to 4 years

Sales of Home Drug-Test Kits Soar Despite Warnings from Experts

Source: JoinTogether News Summary, 5/15/07
The number of parents buying home drug-test kits has increased dramatically despite warnings from treatment professionals and government officials that home-testing adolescents is not a good idea, the Denver Post reported on May 14.
<<SNIP>>
“By the time a parent tests, it’s already far down the road,” said ONDCP Deputy Director for Demand Reduction Bertha Madras. “If they get a positive result, then what? Parents may or may not have the skill to proceed.”
<<SNIP>>
“Parents are motivated by the best of intentions,” said Dr. Sharon Levy, a childhood addiction specialist at Children’s Hospital in Boston. “They are told by marketers that this is a good thing to do. But drug testing is basically a threat. And while it might have some short-term behavioral changes, I don’t think it’s a good long-term prevention method.”
Read the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on drug testing.
Read 5/14/07 Denver Post article : “Drug-test kits a big hit with parents”

“You’ve Got Drugs!” IV

Source: CASAColumbia.org: News Room: Press Releases, 5/16/2007

NEW CASA* WHITE PAPER FINDS 70 PERCENT RISE IN WEB SITES ADVERTISING, SELLING PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS, STIMULANTS, DEPRESSANTS DRUGS AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN; PRESCRIPTION RARELY REQUIRED CALIFANO TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ON ROGUE ONLINE PHARMACIES

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2007 – For three years straight the number of rogue Web sites selling controlled prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium, and Ritalin has increased, according to a new White Paper released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The White Paper, “You’ve Got Drugs!” IV: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet, to be released today at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Rogue Online Pharmacies: The Growing Problem of Internet Drug Trafficking,” found a total of 581 Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs in 2007 compared to 342 sites in 2006. Sites advertising controlled prescription drugs increased by 135 percent, from 168 in 2006 to 394 in 2007. Sites selling these drugs increased by seven percent from 174 in 2006 to 187 in 2007. Of the 187 sites found selling controlled prescription drugs this year, only two were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SitesTM .

Read the rest of the press release.
View or order the White Paper.

Study Finds Link Between Depression and First Use of Drugs or Alcohol

Source: SAMHSA Office of Applied Statistics Press Release, 5/3/2007
Youths who faced depression in the past year were twice as likely as those who did not have depression to take their first drink or use drugs for the first time, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The NSDUH Report: Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Other Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17 showed that in 2005 2.2 million youths [8.8% of youths] experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. For these estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a major depressive episode is defined as a period of two weeks or longer during which there is depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure and at least four other symptoms that reflect a change in functioning, such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.

Among youths who had not used alcohol before, 29.2 percent of those who faced depression took their first drink in the past year, while 14.5 percent of youths who did not have a major depressive episode took their first drink. And 16.1 percent of youths who faced depression and had not previously used illicit drugs began drug use; in contrast, 6.9 percent of youths who did not have a major depressive episode began drug use.

New Online: Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit

Source: Office of Juvenile Justice Programs News @ a Glance, March/April 2007

OJJDP is offering an online resource for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program provides comprehensive information and resources to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy.

Acting Surgeon General Issues National Call to Action on Underage Drinking

Source: USDHHS News Release, 3/7/2007
In its first Call to Action against underage drinking, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office appealed today to Americans to do more to stop America’s 11 million current underage drinkers from using alcohol, and to keep other young people from starting.
[snip]
Although there has been a significant decline in tobacco and illicit drug use among teens, underage drinking has remained at consistently high levels. The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates there are 11 million underage drinkers in the United States. Nearly 7.2 million are considered binge drinkers, typically meaning they drank more than five drinks on occasion, and more than two million are classified as heavy drinkers.

Developed in collaboration with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Call to Action identifies six goals.

• Read the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.

Maternal and child health prevention resources

The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown university compiles “Knowledge Paths,” intended to help professionals keep current on new developments and be of use to those conducting further research on various topics. The January 2007 Knowledge Path focuses on Adolescent Violence Prevention. Other Knowledge Paths include: Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (July 2004), Community Services Locator: Locating Community-Based Services to Support Children and Families (June 2005), Mental Health in Children and Adolescents (May 2004), Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health (September 2005), and Spanish-Language Health Resources (En Español) (February 06)

• Visit Knowledge Paths Index.