Youth Prevention

Research

New report finds adolescent substance use at epidemic levels
A report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University shows that adolescence is the critical period for initiation of substance use. One in four Americans who began using addictive substances, including tobacco, before the age of 18 are addicted compared to only one in 25 who began at 21 years of age or older. Researchers suggest that adolescents’ underdeveloped brains make them more likely to be addicted to substances. The data in the report indicate that 46.3% of high school students have tried smoking cigarettes. The authors of the report state that it is important to prevent and treat addictions in adolescents. The data used to formulate the report came from a variety of sources: a nationally-representative survey of high school students, parents of students, and school personnel; focus groups with students, parents, and school personnel; analyses of seven national data sets, interviews with experts; and a review of scientific literature and reports. Read more and view the report here.

Smoking in top-grossing movies – United States, 2010
According to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adolescents with the highest amount of exposure to onscreen smoking in movies are about twice as likely to begin smoking as those with the least exposure. Researchers found an overall downward trend in the number of onscreen tobacco incidents in youth-rated (G, PG, or PG-13) movies from 2005 to 2010; however, motion picture companies with policies designed to reduce tobacco use in their movies had an average decrease in tobacco incidents of 95.8%, compared with an average decrease of 41.7% among production companies without such policies. The report concludes that policies designed to reduce onscreen tobacco use can substantially reduce tobacco incidents in youth-rated movies. The article can be found in the July 15, 2011 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read more here or read the full report here in MMWR.

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