271277 Reports of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana among a regional sample of Massachusetts high school students

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Shari Kessel Schneider, MSPH , Health and Human Development Division, Education Development Center, Inc., Waltham, MA
William DeJong, PhD , Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
John Clapp, PhD , Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Laura Towvim, MSPH , Health and Human Development Division, Education Development Center, Inc., Waltham, MA
Lydia O'Donnell, EdD , Health and Human Development Division, Education Development Center, Inc., Waltham, MA
Erin Smith, MPH , Health and Human Development Division, Education Development Center, Inc., Waltham, MA
Background/Purpose: We examined reports of alcohol and marijuana use and related driving behaviors among high school youth in Boston's MetroWest region.

Significance: Understanding patterns in risky driving behaviors related to substance use among youth is important in informing education and prevention efforts of school-based health educators and other public health professionals.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey on 10,206 youth who reported on their involvements as passengers and drivers in motor vehicle situations involving substance use. Students were asked if they were passengers in a car driven by someone under 21 who had been (1) using alcohol or (2) using marijuana, and whether they themselves had driven a car after using each of those substances in the past 30 days.

Findings: 34.3% of youth reported drinking alcohol and 23.9% reported using marijuana in the past 30 days. While recent alcohol use was more common than marijuana use, youth were more likely to report being passengers in cars driven by someone under 21 who had been using marijuana (21.1%) compared with alcohol (13.2%). Furthermore, nearly twice as many youth who drive reported driving after using marijuana (23.4%) in comparison with driving after drinking alcohol (12.6%).

Conclusions: While marijuana use is less prevalent than alcohol use among youth, more youth report being passengers or drivers in motor vehicle situations involving marijuana. This highlights the need for prevention programs that adequately address students' perceptions of the risk and potential consequences associated with driving under the influence of marijuana.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe patterns of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana among high school students. 2. Examine how reports of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana compare with patterns of overall use of these substances. 3. Discuss potential strategies to address youths’ perceptions of risks and consequences associated with driving under the influence within the context of substance use and unintentional injury prevention programs

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Substance Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a research associate working on multiple grants and contracts addressing substance abuse and violence prevention efforts for youth in secondary and higher education settings. My current portfolio is focused on youth risk behavior among middle and high school students including unsafe driving behaviors,and substance use.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2054.0: Adolescents and School Health