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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Vinitha Meyyur, PhD, Myriam Hamdallah, MS, MPH, and Norman Krasnegor, PhD. Research and Evaluation, National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, 301-468-2600 Extn:5034, vmeyyur@health.org
Past month substance use (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) in relation to developmental transitions and gender were presented at APHA 2001 using data from the National Household Survey on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (1982-1998). Using age as a proxy three developmental transition groups- (a) Adolescence (12-17 years); (b) Emerging Adulthood (18-25 years); and (c) Adulthood (26-34 years) were identified. Within each of the developmental cohorts, sub groups were selected on a-priori basis. Within the adolescence category, the respondents were divided into three sub groups 12-13 year olds, 14 year olds, and 15-17year olds. The corresponding sub-groups for emerging adulthood were 18-20 year olds, 21 year olds, and 22-25 year olds. Adults were treated as one developmental group of 26-34 year olds. They were not disaggregated. Results indicated that developmental transitions predict current drug use patterns; and the interaction between gender and age sub groups were also discerned. The current research will focus on determining the interaction of race/ethnicity on developmental transitions (age sub groups) with regard to substance use. Data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques to determine whether significant differences within and between age and race/ethnic group cohorts exist. Results of this study will provide more information on the role of race/ethnic background on each of the transitional age groups separately; and will enable more tailored prevention protocols for each of the transitional age groups.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.