IN: Survey: Students using alcohol at younger ages
Electronic vaping is also on the rise
By Diane Raver
October 17, 2018
Each spring, area students take the Indiana Youth Survey, which is administered by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center.
This year, there were about 1,000 usable surveys that were taken by students in grades 6-12 at Batesville Middle School, St. Louis School, Batesville High School and Oldenburg Academy, reports Kim Linkel, Coalition for a Drug-Free Batesville director.
For one section of the survey, participants were asked if they had used alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, electronic vaping products, prescription drugs, meth and heroin within the past 30 days.
The results for 2018 (for comparison, 2017 results for the same grade levels are listed in parentheses):
- Alcohol use – grade 6, 13.6 percent (6 percent); grade 7, 16.5 percent (9.3 percent); grade 8, 16.2 percent (12.8 percent); grade 9, 14.5 percent (13.1 percent); grade 10, 17.5 percent (20.7 percent); grade 11, 24.8 percent (27.6 percent); and grade 12, 26.9 percent (31.9 percent);
- Cigarette use – grade 6, 0 percent (3.3 percent); grade 7, 6.3 percent (1 percent); grade 8, 2.1 percent (1.5 percent); grade 9, 0.6 percent (3.9 percent); grade 10, 6.5 percent (4.7 percent); grade 11, 8.1 percent (9.6 percent); and grade 12, 11.1 percent (6.7 percent);
- Marijuana use – grade 6, 0.6 percent (1.6 percent); grade 7, 3.1 percent (1.5 percent); grade 8, 2.8 percent (2.1 percent); grade 9, 3.4 percent (4.4 percent); grade 10, 5.1 percent (4.7 percent); grade 11, 9.7 percent (12.2 percent); and grade 12, 13.8 percent (9.6 percent);
- Electronic vaping products use – grade 6, not included; grade 7, 12.4 percent (4.1 percent); grade 8, 15.3 percent (7.3 percent); grade 9, 15 percent (3.9 percent); grade 10, 14.6 percent (8.9 percent); grade 11, 16.7 percent (11.8 percent); and grade 12, 23.5 percent (11.9 percent);
- Prescription drugs use – grade 6, 3.2 percent (2.7 percent); grade 7, 1.6 percent (1 percent); grade 8, 1.4 percent (0 percent); grade 9, 0 percent (1.5 percent); grade 10, 0.7 percent (0.5 percent); grade 11, 1.5 percent (1.3 percent); and grade 12, 1.3 percent (0.7 percent); and
- Meth use – grade 11, 1.5 percent (0 percent); and grade 12, 1.3 percent (0 percent). All other grades reported 0 percent for both years.
These results were discussed at the October CDFB meeting.
“One area that stood out to the coalition was the percentage of seventh- and eighth-graders reporting past 30-day use of alcohol,” Linkel revealed. “They were the highest we have seen since the inception of the coalition. Additionally, the number of students across the board that report vaping in the last 30 days is astounding and, unfortunately, has continued to climb each year over the past three years.”
“When the coalition officially formed in 2012, the main concern of … (members) was the past 30-day use of heroin being reported by this same survey. The past three survey years show no use of heroin at any grade level, which is a huge success.
“Additionally, we have seen decreases in the number of students in grades 9-12 reporting using alcohol in the past 30 days, which is also a win as we know alcohol many times leads to the use of other drugs.”
Linkel also pointed out, “In the prevention world, many times we discuss that perception is reality. This year the survey compilation included a report comparing the percentage of youth reporting actual use vs. the percentage that students perceived were using different substances, and the results are mind-blowing.”
For all measured substances, the percentages of youth who perceived that the majority of their peers used those substances were substantially higher than the rates of actual use for them, according to the survey data.
The director presented a few examples:
- “24.8 percent of 11th-graders reported using alcohol in the last 30 days, but students’ perceptions are that 87.3 percent of 11th-graders used alcohol” during that time frame.
- “5.1 percent of 10th-graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, but students’ perceptions are that 75.2 percent of 10th-graders used” this drug.
- 2.1 percent of eighth-graders reported smoking cigarettes in the past 30 days, and students perceptions’ are that 54.5 percent of eighth-graders smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.”
This comprehensive survey looked at much more than just substance abuse, so a piece about the mental health of students was also included.
“These questions are targeting the last year and not just the last month,” Linkel notes.
“This information is concerning to the coalition as over 15 percent of all students who completed the survey in grades 7-12 reported feeling sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row in the past year. Additionally, in this same group of students, over 10 percent in each grade level reported seriously considering suicide in the past year.
“As a coalition, we know that these challenges (substance abuse and mental health issues) many times go hand in hand, so we will continue to monitor this data as well as look into strategies that can be implemented to increase the overall mental wellness of our students.”
She adds, “We are a very fortunate community to have 100 percent of our schools on board to gather the data from our students every year so that we can continue to track their reported usage and be sure we are targeting the correct substances to the correct grade levels. This type of data allows the coalition to truly pinpoint areas of concern and allows us to better target the areas we see as challenges.”
The CDFB usually meets the first Monday of each month at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Building. However, for November, members will be participating in the annual retreat.
Individuals interested in learning more about this survey and the coalition’s prevention efforts are invited to attend the monthly gatherings.