Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105819

Douglas L. Hill, PhD¹, Monique A. Sheppard, PhD², and Ted R. Miller, PhD¹. (1) Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705, 301-755-2784, hill@pire.org, (2) Economics and Data Analysis Resource Center, Children's Safety Network, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705-3102

Background

Past studies have found that adolescent deaths due to underage drinking greatly exceeded adolescent deaths due to illicit drug use. In 1994, underage drinking killed an estimated 6,350 youth ages 12-20 and illicit drug use killed an estimated 980. The current study updated these estimates for 1999-2001.

Method

The new estimates were computed from published estimates of the percentage of deaths by diagnosis and cause that are attributable to alcohol and to other illicit drug use (Harwood, Fountain, & Livermore, 1998). We updated the ICD-9 codes used in the original estimates to the equivalent ICD-10 codes and assumed the attribution percentages for all ages applied to youth. We multiplied the attribution percentages by 1999-2001 youth fatality counts tabulated from US Vital Statistics data.

The estimates included deaths from highway crashes, other injuries, drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning, HIV infections, tuberculosis, and chronic effects of substance abuse. They excluded deaths of adults due to long-term health effects of substance abuse that began before age 21.

Results/Conclusion

In 1999-2001, underage drinking killed an estimated 5,504 youths ages 12-20 per year and other illicit drug use killed an estimated 942 youths per year. While the overall numbers of deaths due to both underage drinking and other illicit drug use have declined slightly since 1994, underage drinking still causes more youth deaths than other illicit drug use.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how youth deaths due to alcohol and other illicit drug use are estimated.
• Learn trends in deaths from underage drinking and other illicit drug use over time.
• Identify which form of youth substance abuse causes more deaths.

Keywords: Alcohol Use, Drug Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.