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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kristin O'Brien, BS, Kelly Cole, BS, and Michael S. Dunn, PhD. Department of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Box 70674, Johnson City, TN 37614, (423)439-4458, keobrien11@hotmail.com

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive profile of the substance use practices among adolescents and to examine the relationship between substance use behavior and work schedule, work pay, and monetary allowance from parents among high school seniors participating in the Monitoring the Future Study during the 2004 academic school year (2004 12th grade core data). Results found that a large percentage of students were engaging in substance use behavior with as many as 49.3% reporting current alcohol use and another 29.3% reporting binge drinking. Additionally, 20.2% of students were regular smokers and 48.6% had used marijuana during their lifetime and 22.7% had used in the past month. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between substance use behavior and work schedule, work pay, and monetary allowance from parents. Significant associations were found for those students who work long hours (20 or more hours per week), received high pay from work (> = $75 per week) and received high allowance ( > = $75 per week) for various substance use behaviors. The results of this study suggest that substance use interventions need to take into consideration such key variables as work and amount of money adolescents receive from work and parents.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe substance use behavior among adolescents.
• To examine the relationship between substance use behavior and work schedule, work pay, and monetary allowance.
• To provide recommendations for intervening in the substance behaviors of adolescents.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered