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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health published 2011 national, state, and local Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. These results show significant improvements in many health behaviors during the past two decades, as well as new possible risks resulting from an increased use of technology.
2013 Monitoring the Future Survey
The Monitoring the Future survey, conducted annually, measures the current drug use, and attitudes toward drugs, of students in grades 8, 10, and 12 across the country. Results included observed declines in the abuse of prescription opioids, alcohol, and cigarettes by teens, the use of synthetic marijuana, Vicodin, and salvia among twelfth graders, and the use of inhalants by eighth graders, but an increase in teens’ use of Adderall. The results also reveal that less than 40% of high school seniors believed that regular marijuana users risk harming themselves, meaning that the perception by seniors that regular marijuana may be dangerous is the lowest it has been since 1978.
58 Million Americans Exposed to Secondhand Smoke: CDC
Despite an overall decline in smoking, 58 million nonsmokers are still being exposed to secondhand smoke, says data from the CDC. 40 percent of children aged 3 to 11 are breathing in secondhand smoke, with 70 percent of black children experiencing exposure.
Alcohol Policy Information System
The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) provides detailed information on a wide variety of alcohol-related policies in the United States at both State and Federal levels.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the world’s largest, ongoing telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Currently, data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
This publication was designed to help states plan and establish effective tobacco control programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use, including among school age youth. School program activities include implementing CDC's Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction, which call for tobacco-free policies, evidence-based curricula, teacher training, parental involvement, and cessation services; implementing evidence-based curricula identified through CDC's Research to Classroom Project; and linking school-based efforts with local community coalitions and statewide media and educational campaigns.
Beyond Addiction: Understanding and Treating Substance Abuse in Young People
This report series from the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth provides an overview on substance abuse in youth and young adults. Find information on how drug use can affect the teen brain, how the development of the teen brain makes young people susceptible to trying drugs, the benefits and things to be aware of when hiring youth workers in substance abuse recovery, and some best-known evidence-based practices for treating adolescent substance abuse.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through partnerships with state health departments and other organizations.
Contribution of Excessive Alcohol Consumption to Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States
This study aimed to update the national estimates of alcohol-attributable deaths (AAD) and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in the United States. The results show that excessive drinking accounted for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults and remains a leading cause of premature mortality nationwide. About 5% of all average annual AAD and 10% of average annual YPLL involved individuals under 21 years of age.
Cigarette Smoking Among U.S. High School Students at Lowest Level in 22 Years
According to the results of the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), rates of cigarette smoking among high school students have dropped (PDF, 1 page) to the lowest levels since the YRBS began in 1991. By achieving a teen smoking rate of 15.7 percent, the United States has met its national Healthy People 2020 objective of reducing adolescent cigarette use to 16 percent or less.
Current Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011
As illustrated in this report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey reveals that during 2000–2011, there was a linear downward trend observed in the prevalence of current tobacco use, current combustible tobacco use, and current cigarette use among middle and high school students.
Drug Addiction: Step-by-Step Guides for Seeking Help
NIDA has released new step-by-step guides both for those seeking help to overcome drug addiction and their loved ones. The guides are presented in a simple Q&A format with accompanying videos and are customized into four categories: (1) teens seeking help, (2) adults seeking help, (3) parents/guardians seeking help for their teen/young adult child, and (4) those trying to help an adult loved one.
E-Cigarette Use in College Tied to Other Risky Behaviors
A new study of more than 1,400 college students shows that students who use tobacco, marijuana, and/or binge drink are more likely to use electronic cigarettes. The survey results also show that students who considered e-cigarettes to be less harmful than traditional tobacco products were also more likely to use e-cigarettes.
Get Involved: NIDA's National Drug Facts Week
Get involved with NIDA’s fifth annual Drug Facts Week. Host or promote events for teens that help shatter the myths about drugs, and expose teens to facts about drugs and addiction from scientists and other experts. NIDA staff can recommend materials and activities, help organizations partner with one another, and highlight events on the official 2015 National Drug Facts Week map.
Healthy Youth
This Web site provides information on and links to school health strategies, research and evaluation tools, Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, evidence-based guidelines for school health programs, and adolescent and school health program resources and tools.
Guide to Community Preventive Services
The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource listing programs and policies that improve health and prevent disease. The Program Planning Resources section of the site outlines the types of steps that are generally used in program planning, along with selected resources that may be useful at each step.
Healthy Youth - Evaluation
CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health provides evaluation technical assistance to Funded Partners through a variety of evaluation resources and tools.
Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know
This resource provides parents with tips on how to spot marijuana use by their teen and how to raise the issue with them.
Marijuana: Facts for Teens
This resource for teens discusses the consequences and effects of marijuana use, as well as its risk for addiction and potential as a medicine.
Limited Internet? Get a Flash Drive with Resources about Teen Prescription Drug Abuse
Resources from PeerX, NIDA’s online educational campaign to discourage abuse of prescription drugs among teens, are now available on a free flash drive. To get the flash drive, send an email to peerx@iqsolutions.com. The flash drive includes interactive videos, fact sheets, the PEERx Activity Guide, and other educational resources.
Methodology of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System-2013
This report describes the changes and updates made to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System since 2004, and provides results of methods studies that systematically examined how different survey procedures affect prevalence estimates.
Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research-Based Guide
This guide offers research-based principles and approaches for practitioners to consider when treating adolescent substance abuse, as well as information about settings in which treatment occurs, the role of family and medical professions in treatment and recovery, and frequently asked questions about adolescent drug use.
Research-based Strategies Help Reduce Underage Drinking
An evaluation of studies conducted since the 2007 release of the Surgeon General’s report, “Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking” reveals that the approaches outlined in the report show promise in preventing underage drinking. Some of the suggested strategies that were reviewed include nighttime restrictions on young drivers, strict license suspension policies, interventions focused on partnerships between college campuses and the community, and routine screening by physicians to identify and counsel underage drinkers.
Robbing the Future: Smoking and Youth
A new video, “Robbing the Future,” explores the various ways the tobacco industry targets young people, as well as the growing popularity of products like e-cigarettes and the dangers associated with their use. An accompanying fact sheet (PDF, 2 pages) includes information about the health effects of tobacco use, e-cigarettes, and secondhand smoke among youth and young adults, and the ways in which cigarettes are marketed to young people.
Results From the 2014 Monitoring the Future Survey
The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey measures the current drug use by and attitudes toward drugs of students in grades 8, 10, and 12. Results show that use of cigarettes and alcohol and abuse of prescription pain relievers among teens has declined since 2013, but rates of marijuana use were stable. Measured for the first time in the 2014, the use of electronic cigarettes is high among teens, with past-month use at 8.7% for 8th graders, 16.2% for 10th graders, and 17.1% for 12th graders.