white-prevalenceillicit-1999.pdf (677.56 kB)
Prevalence of illicit drug use among youth: results from the Australian School Students' Alcohol and Drugs Survey
journal contribution
posted on 1999-10-01, 00:00 authored by M Lynskey, Vicki WhiteVicki White, D Hill, T Letcher, W HallOBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of illicit drug use among Australian secondary school students. METHOD: Data was collected as part of the Australian School Student's Alcohol and Drugs Survey, a national survey of 29,447 secondary school students. RESULTS: Of all students aged 12-17 years, 39.9% (44.1% of males and 35.9% of females) reported having used at least one illicit drug in their lifetime. Cannabis was the most widely used illicit drug with 36.4% of all students reporting having used cannabis. Substantially fewer students reported using other drugs: hallucinogens (8.6%), amphetamines (6.1%), cocaine (3.6%), ecstasy (3.6%), opiates (3.7%) and steroids (1.8%). There were clear gender and age differences in the prevalence of illicit drug use: more males than females reported illicit drug use and the lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use increased with age. Most of those who reported illicit drug use had used drugs on relatively few occasions although there was a small minority of the sample who reported more frequent use. Finally, there were strong association between regular cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs in the past year, and moderate associations between illicit drug use and the extent of both tobacco and alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this, the first national survey of illicit drug use among Australian school students, indicate a high prevalence of illicit drug use. Comparisons with previous regionally based surveys suggest there may have been a recent increase in the prevalence of cannabis use and highlight the need for further monitoring of and prevention efforts aimed at reducing illicit drug use among students.
History
Journal
Australian and New Zealand journal of public healthVolume
23Issue
5Pagination
519 - 524Publisher
WileyLocation
Milton, Qld.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1326-0200eISSN
1753-6405Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
1999, WileyUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
AdolescentAge DistributionAustraliaChildFemaleHumansMaleOdds RatioPrevalenceRisk FactorsSex DistributionStreet DrugsSubstance-Related DisordersScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthONSET CANNABIS USEYOUNG ADULTHOODADOLESCENCETOBACCOCONSEQUENCESPROGRESSIONINVOLVEMENT
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