Ecstasy use among youth in grades 9-12, Los Angeles County, 2003-2010

Background: Although information on ecstasy use in the U.S. population is readily available for the period 2003-2010, similar data on youth in grades 9-12 (ages 12-17) are not. A paucity of studies has explored ecstasy use among youth by foreign-born status or by race/ethnicity (e.g., Latino) in a large urban jurisdiction. Methods: The CDC-funded Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a repeated cross-sectional survey of students in grades 9-12, conducted locally every 2 years in Los Angeles County. The sample of 25 public high schools is selected randomly. Since 1999, each survey has achieved a school response rate of 100% and a student response rate in the mid-80 percent range. Sample sizes generally averaged ~ 2,000 student participants each year of survey administration. Results: From 2003 to 2010, ecstasy use increased steadily among all racial/ethnic groups (5% to 21%). In 2010, little difference was detected between Latinos and whites (OR=0.7, 95% CL 0.4, 1.3). Similar to national data, African American and Asian youth used less ecstasy than their white counterparts (OR=0.3 95% CI 0.2, 0.6; OR=0.4 95% CI 0.2, 0.9, respectively). For all groups, foreign born is 0.7 times less likely than US born (95% CI 0.5, 0.9) to use ecstasy. Conclusions: Use of ecstasy among adolescents is alarmingly high and increasing in Los Angeles County. In addition to whites, Latino youth appears to be particularly vulnerable to using this drug, suggesting that targeted public health efforts may be needed in this and other at-risk youth groups in this jurisdiction.