NCJ Number
201220
Date Published
June 2003
Length
85 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of the seventh (2002) Texas statewide survey of drug and alcohol use among students in grades four, five, and six.
Abstract
The survey involved responses from 88,929 students in these grades from 70 school districts in the State. As part of the survey, schools in 12 counties along the Texas-Mexico border were oversampled so that substance use among border students could be examined in detail. In the 2002 survey, students in all elementary grades reported the lowest rates of lifetime and past-year use of tobacco or alcohol since the survey began in 1990. Decreases in use of inhalants were reported between 1998 and 2002, although the past-year rates were still up from the lowest level in 1994. Marijuana was used by only a small percentage of elementary students, but past-year use increased steadily from 1992 to 1996 and has decreased since 1996. Using an estimate of 954,000 students currently in grades four through six indicates that approximately 286,000 elementary students have ever tried one of those substances, and approximately 193,000 have used them during the past school year. Border students were somewhat more likely than non-border students to have drunk beer and wine coolers and have used inhalants in their lifetime and during the past school year. There has been little change in the average age of first use of substances. The age at which elementary students first began drinking has remained fairly constant since 1994 at slightly more than 9 years old. Approximately one in eight students reported heavy consumption of beer at least once during the 2002 school year (two or more drinks at one sitting). Glue and correction fluid continue to be the two most popular inhalant products among students. Forty-four percent of the students who drink alcohol said they usually obtained it from home. Peer use was an important influence in a student's substance use. Children who reported that their parents disapproved of kids their age drinking beer or using marijuana were less likely to consume them than were those whose parents did not care or approved of it. This report advises that parents can have a major role in preventing substance abuse by initiating discussions with their children early in the elementary grades and then making sure that their children are clear about their parents' disapproval of substance use. Further, all Texas students in grades K-12 should receive comprehensive alcohol, tobacco, and other drug information. Extensive tables and figures and appended survey instrument and supplementary data