U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report shows slight declines from 2002 to 2007 in the percentages of youth who received substance abuse prevention messages from the media and from out-of-school programs.
The most significant decrease came in media anti-drug or anti-alcohol messages, which during the previous year reached 77.9 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds surveyed in 2007, down from 83.2 percent in 2002, according to the report. The percentage of youth who received such messages from out-of-school programs declined from 12.7 percent to 11.3 percent.
While the rate of youth who reported having had talks with their parents about alcohol or drug use in the past year remained stable over the five-year period, the percentages declined as age increased – 61.6 percent of 12- and 13-year-olds’ parents talked to them about drugs or alcohol, compared with 57.1 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds.
Free, four pages. (240) 276-1212, http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/prevention/prevention.pdf.
