Indiana Youth Substance Use Shows Significant Decrease: Report

Aug.15.2022
Indiana Youth Substance Use Shows Significant Decrease: Report
Drug use among Indiana youth has dropped significantly over the past 30 years, according to a recent report.

According to a news report from Indiana University, the latest results of the 2022 Indiana Youth Survey reveal a significant decrease in drug use among Indiana youth for the first time in over 30 years.


IU News has reported.


The Indiana Youth Survey is a biennial, six-month assessment conducted by the Applied Health Science Department of Indiana University's School of Public Health. According to a report by Indiana University news, the data is based on responses from over 90,000 students from 323 schools.


For the past thirty years, the lowest rates of popularity have been for cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. In 1991, 59.7% of 12th grade students reported alcohol use in the 30 days prior to the survey. This year, the reported figure is 19.9%, which is 8.6% lower than the percentage of 12th graders who reported alcohol consumption in the past 30 days in 2020. The survey reveals that alcohol is the most common substance among young people in Indiana, with most students obtaining it from their parents or social activities.


According to a survey, the smoking rate among 11th grade students has decreased by 37.3% since its peak of 40.1% in 1996. However, in the same year, the marijuana usage rate among 10th grade students reached a record high of 24.9%. As reported by IU News, this year's youth marijuana usage rate has shown a 16.5% decrease.


Electronic cigarettes are the second most commonly used substance by youth in Indiana. However, recent data shows that the percentage of 12th grade students who reported using electronic cigarette products in the past 30 days has decreased from 23% in 2020 to 14.8% in 2022. Jon Agley, Associate Professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health and Deputy Director of Preventive Insights, told the Indiana University News that these decreases are a positive sign, but it remains unclear if these trends will continue. Understanding whether these changes are a long-term shift or a temporary blip is important as young people often use these products with their peers.


Agley stated that the FDA recently banned the production of Juul's e-cigarette products and the impact of this decision is "worth keeping an eye on." He added that it is difficult to predict what youth e-cigarettes will look like in 2024.


According to a survey, the use of electronic cigarettes peaked in 2018 and has declined since then, with further decreases expected in 2020 and 2022. Despite being more widespread than any other form of tobacco consumption, e-cigarette usage is on the decline.


According to a report from IU News, a survey encompassing not only drug use but also student mental health was conducted. Results indicated a slight increase in depression and other mental health indicators across all grade levels compared to data collected in 2020.


Ruth Gassman, a senior scientist at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington and Executive Director of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center, told Indiana University News: "Since I began leading the investigation, we have never seen such a significant decline. We suspect these data reflect unintended consequences of the pandemic. The epidemic has disrupted the daily lives of teenagers and may prevent young people from accessing medication.


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