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

Abstract #113730

Melissa C. Morris, MPH¹, Anna E. Price, BS¹, Rebecca J. W. Cline, PhD², Robert M. Weiler, PhD¹, and S. Camille Broadway, MAMC³. (1) Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118210, 5 FLG, Gainesville, FL 32611-8210, 352-392-0583, mcmorris@ufl.edu, (2) Communication and Behavioral Oncology, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute/Wayne State University, Hudson Webber Cancer Research Center, Rm. 540, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI 48201, (3) College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118400, Graduate Division (G040 Weimer Hall), Gainesville, FL 32611-8400

Purpose: This investigation explored how prescription drug-related terms are presented in glossaries of health textbooks. Significance: Health textbooks play an important role in the instructional context by teaching students about substance abuse in general and prescription drugs in particular. Textbook glossaries include terms that help shape students' understanding of key concepts related to prescription drug use and abuse. Procedures: Data were collected from glossaries of 24 middle- and high-school health textbooks. All glossary terms associated with drug use and abuse were identified. Terms potentially related to prescription drugs were classified as either an explicit or implicit prescription drug reference. Findings: Although a majority of glossaries provided a definition for “prescription drugs” (70.8%), most failed to provide explicit references to prescription drugs within definitions related to drug effects and risks. Of 39 definitions of specific prescription drugs (e.g., methylphenidate, codeine) only 10.3% identified prescription drugs explicitly. Of 191 definitions of classes of drugs available by prescription (e.g., stimulants, tranquilizers) only 6% explicitly referenced prescription drugs. None of the 129 terms defining potential adverse effects of drug use or abuse explicitly referenced prescription drugs. Glossaries also provide ambiguous and inconsistent definitions for the terms drug “use,” “abuse,” and “misuse.” Conclusion: Textbook glossaries help students master important concepts by defining and delineating related terms. By failing to identify prescription drugs explicitly, glossaries risk (1) communicating to readers that prescription drugs are unimportant in the broader context of drug abuse, and (2) increasing confusion about prescription drugs' potential risks and benefits.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will (
• identify common prescription drug terms included in health education textbooks, (
• understand the significant role textbooks play in prescription drug education and (
• explore how incomplete or misleading glossary terms may have implications for prescription drug misuse and 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.