SCHOOL APATHY COINCIDES WITH DRUG USE, STUDY FINDS

Flint - A seven-year study of a group of Flint high school students found
that teens who were apathetic about school were more likely to use drugs.

The study by the University of Michigan's School of Public Health also
showed black students who are knowledgeable about their heritage were less
likely to be depressed.

These were two of several findings in the study, reported last week at a
meeting of about 20 area health, university, government and school officials.

"If an African-American felt that being black was very central to who they
are, they had less stress and less problems with depression and anxiety,"
said Karen Schmeelk-Cone, a researcher in the project. "But if you were
aware of who you are, you were also much more in touch with discrimination
done to you. It's kind of a double-edged sword."

The study also found having a poor attitude about school does not increase
a student's chances of dropping out, but drug use does, Schmeelk-Cone said.

The study began in 1994 and was funded by about $7 million in federal
grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. It followed 850
ninth-graders in Flint's four high schools. The study continues today; 639
of the students - now in their early 20s - remain in the study group.

The researchers said the high response rate is largely because the students
were paid $20 or $25 for each of the one-on-one interviews conducted.
Students were paid an additional $10 for submitting saliva samples that are
being used in the research.

The study selected students who had grade point averages below 3.0. It was
intended to find factors associated with dropping out of school and alcohol
and drug use.

Of the original 850 students, 173 (boys and girls) got pregnant or got
someone else pregnant while they were still teenagers. That's 20 percent.
The students averaged 16 years old at the time of the pregnancy.

Another key finding was that the white students, who represented about 17
percent of the study group, had much higher uses of cigarettes, alcohol,
marijuana and hard drugs than the black students.

Schmeelk-Cone said they had not determined why this was the case.

"It's good, solid, starter information," said David J. Doherty, a Flint
Board of Education member and Kettering University administrator. "I'm not
surprised at anything I heard.

"The question now is where to go from here? What should we do with this?
What does it mean to us?"

The findings showed that students with a mother engaged in their lives were
less likely to be violent. Those with fathers involved in their lives were
likely to have fewer problem behaviors.

Those with an adult mentor - someone over age 25 they could talk to - had
better attitudes about school and fewer negative behaviors, Schmeelk-Cone said.

Lee Gonzales, the Genesee County assistant treasurer and chairman of the
area's Hispanic Caucus, was impressed by the study, but upset that it did
not include Hispanic students.

"We just want to be part of the project," Gonzales said. "Dropout rates are
very significant to Latinos locally and nationally. We have some of the
greatest problems with dropouts. I think overall this is a great project,
but it's a missed opportunity for our Latino students."

Last year, about 2.4 percent of the Flint School District's 22,000 students
were Hispanic, according to school statistics.

Schmeelk-Cone said Hispanic and special education students were not
included in the study because their numbers were too small to have
statistical significance.

(Sidebar)

QUICK FACTS

Students studied

A seven-year University of Michigan study started with 850 Flint
ninth-graders and continues today with the same group:

Study group:

80 percent black

17 percent white

3 percent mixed white and black

Hispanic and special education students not included

Substance abuse

Year studied % black % white

Cigarette use

1994 43% 60%

2000 44% 71%

Alcohol use

1994 63% 62%

2000 72% 84%

Marijuana use

1994 48% 40%

2000 37% 52%

Hard drug use

1994 5% 18%

2000 4% 28%

Dropout and higher education numbers:

1995: 54 (6 percent) of 823 respondents had dropped out.

1996: 231 (29 percent) of 808 respondents had dropped out.

1997: 217 (28 percent) of 781 respondents had dropped out

1998: No test data collected.

1999: Of 557 respondents, 139 (25 percent) had no high school degree, 244
(44 percent) had a GED or high school diploma (but no college/training) and
174 (31 percent) had some college or training experience.

2000: Of 628 respondents, 137 (22 percent) had no degree, 230 (37 percent)
had a GED or high school diploma (but no college/training) and 261 (42
percent) had some college or training experience