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News
Fewer
Iowa Teenagers Report Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Posted 1 June 2009
The 2008 Iowa Youth
Survey shows fewer Iowa teenagers report alcohol and marijuana use. The
survey, which was conducted in October of 2008, found 81 percent of
students reported consuming no alcohol within the past 30 days.
Students were also asked about binge drinking, defined as five or more
alcoholic drinks within a couple of hours; 87 percent of all students
surveyed reported no binge drinking. Both these figures are an
improvement over the 2005 survey results. Additionally, 94 percent of
these students reported no marijuana use.
"These figures show us that prevention messages do work," said Iowa
Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) Behavioral Health Division Director Kathy
Stone. "When parents, schools and the community work together to
address problems like teenage alcohol and drug use, positive things can
happen. It's important now to continue that work so the percentage of
students who abstain from drugs and alcohol will continue to grow."
In contrast to encouraging results regarding drugs and alcohol, the
survey raises concern in other areas. When asked if they had received a
threatening or hurtful message from another student through the
Internet or text messaging, 10 percent of all students surveyed
indicated they had received one or more messages. When asked if they
had made a plan about how to attempt suicide in the past year, 9
percent of all students answered yes; 15 percent of 11th grade girls
said yes.
The 2008 Iowa Youth Survey is the twelfth in a series of surveys that
have been completed every three years since 1975. In 2008, students in
grades 6, 8 and 11 attending Iowa public and private schools were
questioned about their behaviors, attitudes and beliefs. For the first
time in 2008, the survey was conducted online. The survey is a joint
effort by the Iowa Departments of Public Health, Education, Human
Rights, and the Office of Drug Control Policy. Analysis is prepared by
the Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation at the
University of Iowa. To see the 2008 Iowa Youth Survey results, visit www.iowayouthsurvey.org | | |
