Does participation of ATOD prevention program help youths aged 12-17 in preventing them from using marijuana?

Background: In 2008, 9.3% of youths aged 12-17 were current illicit drug users of which 6.7% used marijuana. Preventing youth ATOD use requires a comprehensive approach involving communities, schools, peers and families, which are all key components in substance use prevention among youths. Research indicates that parents are an influential factor in whether youths use ATOD. Purpose: This research examines the relationship between ATOD prevention program participation and marijuana use by youths aged 12-17. Data and Methods: This research uses data from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH collects information from residents of households and non-institutional group quarters. To control for the effect of complex survey design, svy command in STATA is used in both bi-variate and multivariate analysis. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models are estimated for measuring the relationship between ATOD prevention program participation and marijuana use. Results: Results show approximately one in nine youths aged 12-17 reported that they had participated in ATOD prevention programs outside of school in the past year. Results also show that youths who participated in ATOD prevention program outside school in the past year are significantly less like to use marijuana in the past year compared to those who did not participate in ATOD prevention program. When other socio-demographic and economic factors are controlled for, the relationship between ATOD prevention program participation and marijuana use remain significant. Results suggest that ATOD prevention programs need to be expanded in order to prevent marijuana use among youths aged 12-17.