News (Media Awareness Project) - US MO: Substance Abuse Up In 10th Grade |
| Title: | US MO: Substance Abuse Up In 10th Grade |
| Published On: | 2005-05-05 |
| Source: | Kansas City Star (MO) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-16 14:12:31 |
SUBSTANCE ABUSE UP IN 10TH GRADE
Advocates for the well-being of teenagers would like to say trends are good
with youths and their declining use of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
But then comes along the 10th-grade class of 2004.
It's just a slight bump upward, but the annual Kauffman Teen Survey being
released today notes a perplexing rise in 10th-grade substance abuse, said
David Kingsley, the chief researcher with the Partnership for Children in
Kansas City.
aoeIt's a strange phenomenon,a Kingsley said. aoeWe ought to be
concerned.a
The survey gathered responses from more than 9,500 teenagers from 17 school
districts in Missouri and Kansas.
In addition to healthy habits, the survey questioned teens about their
values, what is important to them, the quality of their relationships,
their expectations for the future and the things that concern them most.
It's encouraging that most kinds of substance abuse continue slight
downward trends, Kingsley said. Also encouraging was the teenagers'
tendency to value things such as good relationships, marriage and family
life far more than having a new car.
But some of the issues school districts and community groups can expect to
give more attention to a" based on the findings a" include teenagers'
concerns over date rape, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
Then there is that rise in substance abuse among 10th-graders.
aoeWe can't get complacent,a said Deidre Anderson, the Safe and Drug
Free Schools program coordinator for the Hickman Mills School District.
aoeWhen numbers start going down, we think the job is done and that we can
lessen our efforts. But you can't.a
Cigarette use in the seven days prior to the survey, which has declined
steadily since the late 1990s, edged down slightly among 12th-graders and
eighth-graders, but rose from 13 percent to 14 percent among 10th-graders.
Alcohol consumption, which has seen only marginal declines, saw an increase
among both 12th-graders and 10th-graders in 2004. Alcohol consumption in
the previous seven days had risen from 31 percent to 33 percent among
12th-graders, and from 23 percent to 25 percent among 10th-graders.
Tenth-graders alone saw slight increases in the use of marijuana, crack,
ecstasy and inhalants.
Lee's Summit North High School senior Kayla Bronder has served on several
community groups that try to direct teens away from risky behaviors.
aoeIt's the question we've always been asking: a'What can you
do?'a,a Bronder said. aoeSome kids need to make mistakes, and
unfortunately it can have bad effects down the road.a
Overall, Bronder said, most teenagers are shunning drug and tobacco use.
Tenth grade can be a critical crossroads. Many 10th-graders are getting
their driver's licenses. They have opportunities to spend more time away
from home with friends.
aoeThey're getting that freedom from mom and dad,a said Jan Nelson, the
Lee's Summit School District's director of student support programs.
aoeAnd some parents become less involved at that time.a
The survey not only gives an overall report, but also provides school
districts the data that are specific to their students. Districts use the
information to develop programs and to help gain funding grants.
Schools should react to the information, said Millie Sampson, Blue Valley
School District's coordinator of health education and health services. Blue
Valley, for instance, developed programs to discourage use of inhalants
after previous findings showed unexpectedly high use in the district.
aoeBut it's also important for parents and students to realize that not
everybody is using,a she said. aoeIf teens hear everyone is using, they
may feel they have to to fit in.a
The top concerns listed in the study were getting a sexually transmitted
disease, getting AIDS, becoming a teen parent and rape, including date rape.
The survey has not directly asked students about sexual behaviors, and
school districts have the option to skip a section of the survey if they
choose, Kingsley said.
Questions regarding sexuality have been resisted in the past, Kingsley
said, but schools may want to reconsider in the future.
(bold)(fontfamily)(param)Arial(/param)(smaller)(x-tad-smaller)
(/x-tad-smaller)(/smaller)(/fontfamily)(/bold)(fontfamily)(param)Arial(/param)Advocates
for the well-being of teenagers would like to say trends are good with
youths and their declining use of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
But then comes along the 10th-grade class of 2004.
It's just a slight bump upward, but the annual Kauffman Teen Survey being
released today notes a perplexing rise in 10th-grade substance abuse, said
David Kingsley, the chief researcher with the Partnership for Children in
Kansas City.
aoeIt's a strange phenomenon,a Kingsley said. aoeWe ought to be
concerned.a
The survey gathered responses from more than 9,500 teenagers from 17 school
districts in Missouri and Kansas.
In addition to healthy habits, the survey questioned teens about their
values, what is important to them, the quality of their relationships,
their expectations for the future and the things that concern them most.
It's encouraging that most kinds of substance abuse continue slight
downward trends, Kingsley said. Also encouraging was the teenagers'
tendency to value things such as good relationships, marriage and family
life far more than having a new car.
But some of the issues school districts and community groups can expect to
give more attention to a" based on the findings a" include teenagers'
concerns over date rape, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
Then there is that rise in substance abuse among 10th-graders.
We can't get complacent, said Deidre Anderson, the Safe and Drug Free
Schools program coordinator for the Hickman Mills School District.
When numbers start going down, we think the job is done and that we can
lessen our efforts. But you can't.
Cigarette use in the seven days prior to the survey, which has declined
steadily since the late 1990s, edged down slightly among 12th-graders and
eighth-graders, but rose from 13 percent to 14 percent among 10th-graders.
Alcohol consumption, which has seen only marginal declines, saw an increase
among both 12th-graders and 10th-graders in 2004. Alcohol consumption in
the previous seven days had risen from 31 percent to 33 percent among
12th-graders, and from 23 percent to 25 percent among 10th-graders.
Tenth-graders alone saw slight increases in the use of marijuana, crack,
ecstasy and inhalants.
Lee's Summit North High School senior Kayla Bronder has served on several
community groups that try to direct teens away from risky behaviors.
It's the question we've always been asking: 'What can you do?' Lucida
Grande , Bronder said. Some kids need to make mistakes, and unfortunately
it can have bad effects down the road.
Overall, Bronder said, most teenagers are shunning drug and tobacco use.
Tenth grade can be a critical crossroads. Many 10th-graders are getting
their driver's licenses. They have opportunities to spend more time away
from home with friends.
They're getting that freedom from mom and dad, said Jan Nelson, the Lee's
Summit School District's director of student support programs. And some
parents become less involved at that time.
The survey not only gives an overall report, but also provides school
districts the data that are specific to their students. Districts use the
information to develop programs and to help gain funding grants.
Schools should react to the information, said Millie Sampson, Blue Valley
School District's coordinator of health education and health services. Blue
Valley, for instance, developed programs to discourage use of inhalants
after previous findings showed unexpectedly high use in the district.
But it's also important for parents and students to realize that not
everybody is using, she said. If teens hear everyone is using, they may
feel they have to to fit in.
The top concerns listed in the study were getting a sexually transmitted
disease, getting AIDS, becoming a teen parent and rape, including date rape.
The survey has not directly asked students about sexual behaviors, and
school districts have the option to skip a section of the survey if they
choose, Kingsley said.
Questions regarding sexuality have been resisted in the past, Kingsley
said, but schools may want to reconsider in the future.
Advocates for the well-being of teenagers would like to say trends are good
with youths and their declining use of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
But then comes along the 10th-grade class of 2004.
It's just a slight bump upward, but the annual Kauffman Teen Survey being
released today notes a perplexing rise in 10th-grade substance abuse, said
David Kingsley, the chief researcher with the Partnership for Children in
Kansas City.
aoeIt's a strange phenomenon,a Kingsley said. aoeWe ought to be
concerned.a
The survey gathered responses from more than 9,500 teenagers from 17 school
districts in Missouri and Kansas.
In addition to healthy habits, the survey questioned teens about their
values, what is important to them, the quality of their relationships,
their expectations for the future and the things that concern them most.
It's encouraging that most kinds of substance abuse continue slight
downward trends, Kingsley said. Also encouraging was the teenagers'
tendency to value things such as good relationships, marriage and family
life far more than having a new car.
But some of the issues school districts and community groups can expect to
give more attention to a" based on the findings a" include teenagers'
concerns over date rape, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
Then there is that rise in substance abuse among 10th-graders.
aoeWe can't get complacent,a said Deidre Anderson, the Safe and Drug
Free Schools program coordinator for the Hickman Mills School District.
aoeWhen numbers start going down, we think the job is done and that we can
lessen our efforts. But you can't.a
Cigarette use in the seven days prior to the survey, which has declined
steadily since the late 1990s, edged down slightly among 12th-graders and
eighth-graders, but rose from 13 percent to 14 percent among 10th-graders.
Alcohol consumption, which has seen only marginal declines, saw an increase
among both 12th-graders and 10th-graders in 2004. Alcohol consumption in
the previous seven days had risen from 31 percent to 33 percent among
12th-graders, and from 23 percent to 25 percent among 10th-graders.
Tenth-graders alone saw slight increases in the use of marijuana, crack,
ecstasy and inhalants.
Lee's Summit North High School senior Kayla Bronder has served on several
community groups that try to direct teens away from risky behaviors.
aoeIt's the question we've always been asking: a'What can you
do?'a,a Bronder said. aoeSome kids need to make mistakes, and
unfortunately it can have bad effects down the road.a
Overall, Bronder said, most teenagers are shunning drug and tobacco use.
Tenth grade can be a critical crossroads. Many 10th-graders are getting
their driver's licenses. They have opportunities to spend more time away
from home with friends.
aoeThey're getting that freedom from mom and dad,a said Jan Nelson, the
Lee's Summit School District's director of student support programs.
aoeAnd some parents become less involved at that time.a
The survey not only gives an overall report, but also provides school
districts the data that are specific to their students. Districts use the
information to develop programs and to help gain funding grants.
Schools should react to the information, said Millie Sampson, Blue Valley
School District's coordinator of health education and health services. Blue
Valley, for instance, developed programs to discourage use of inhalants
after previous findings showed unexpectedly high use in the district.
aoeBut it's also important for parents and students to realize that not
everybody is using,a she said. aoeIf teens hear everyone is using, they
may feel they have to to fit in.a
The top concerns listed in the study were getting a sexually transmitted
disease, getting AIDS, becoming a teen parent and rape, including date rape.
The survey has not directly asked students about sexual behaviors, and
school districts have the option to skip a section of the survey if they
choose, Kingsley said.
Questions regarding sexuality have been resisted in the past, Kingsley
said, but schools may want to reconsider in the future.
(bold)(fontfamily)(param)Arial(/param)(smaller)(x-tad-smaller)
(/x-tad-smaller)(/smaller)(/fontfamily)(/bold)(fontfamily)(param)Arial(/param)Advocates
for the well-being of teenagers would like to say trends are good with
youths and their declining use of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
But then comes along the 10th-grade class of 2004.
It's just a slight bump upward, but the annual Kauffman Teen Survey being
released today notes a perplexing rise in 10th-grade substance abuse, said
David Kingsley, the chief researcher with the Partnership for Children in
Kansas City.
aoeIt's a strange phenomenon,a Kingsley said. aoeWe ought to be
concerned.a
The survey gathered responses from more than 9,500 teenagers from 17 school
districts in Missouri and Kansas.
In addition to healthy habits, the survey questioned teens about their
values, what is important to them, the quality of their relationships,
their expectations for the future and the things that concern them most.
It's encouraging that most kinds of substance abuse continue slight
downward trends, Kingsley said. Also encouraging was the teenagers'
tendency to value things such as good relationships, marriage and family
life far more than having a new car.
But some of the issues school districts and community groups can expect to
give more attention to a" based on the findings a" include teenagers'
concerns over date rape, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
Then there is that rise in substance abuse among 10th-graders.
We can't get complacent, said Deidre Anderson, the Safe and Drug Free
Schools program coordinator for the Hickman Mills School District.
When numbers start going down, we think the job is done and that we can
lessen our efforts. But you can't.
Cigarette use in the seven days prior to the survey, which has declined
steadily since the late 1990s, edged down slightly among 12th-graders and
eighth-graders, but rose from 13 percent to 14 percent among 10th-graders.
Alcohol consumption, which has seen only marginal declines, saw an increase
among both 12th-graders and 10th-graders in 2004. Alcohol consumption in
the previous seven days had risen from 31 percent to 33 percent among
12th-graders, and from 23 percent to 25 percent among 10th-graders.
Tenth-graders alone saw slight increases in the use of marijuana, crack,
ecstasy and inhalants.
Lee's Summit North High School senior Kayla Bronder has served on several
community groups that try to direct teens away from risky behaviors.
It's the question we've always been asking: 'What can you do?' Lucida
Grande , Bronder said. Some kids need to make mistakes, and unfortunately
it can have bad effects down the road.
Overall, Bronder said, most teenagers are shunning drug and tobacco use.
Tenth grade can be a critical crossroads. Many 10th-graders are getting
their driver's licenses. They have opportunities to spend more time away
from home with friends.
They're getting that freedom from mom and dad, said Jan Nelson, the Lee's
Summit School District's director of student support programs. And some
parents become less involved at that time.
The survey not only gives an overall report, but also provides school
districts the data that are specific to their students. Districts use the
information to develop programs and to help gain funding grants.
Schools should react to the information, said Millie Sampson, Blue Valley
School District's coordinator of health education and health services. Blue
Valley, for instance, developed programs to discourage use of inhalants
after previous findings showed unexpectedly high use in the district.
But it's also important for parents and students to realize that not
everybody is using, she said. If teens hear everyone is using, they may
feel they have to to fit in.
The top concerns listed in the study were getting a sexually transmitted
disease, getting AIDS, becoming a teen parent and rape, including date rape.
The survey has not directly asked students about sexual behaviors, and
school districts have the option to skip a section of the survey if they
choose, Kingsley said.
Questions regarding sexuality have been resisted in the past, Kingsley
said, but schools may want to reconsider in the future.
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