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1

Report Title:	Monitoring the Future, National Results on Adolescent Drug Use, Overview of Key Findings 2002
*Abstract:*	Early results from the Monitoring the Future study's 2002 nationwide survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students are presented in this report. Recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs are emphasized. Trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug--which this study has shown to be particularly important in explaining the trends in use--are also presented, as are trends in perceived availability of each drug.
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Agency:	NIH:National Institute on Drug Abuse
Date of Report:	4/1/2003

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Report Title:	Review of Literature and Secondary Research on Generation Y - Lessons to Apply in the Development of a Youth-targeted CDC Web Site
*Abstract:*	Generation Y has immense potential as a market for many different products and services. Members of Generation Y are currently between the ages of 5 and 22, and they constitute approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population. In the next decade or so, they are expected to outnumber Baby Boomers. They are already spending big money as well. In 1998, $168 billion in consumer spending was attributed to youths aged 4 to 19. This generation is an attractive market for more reasons than just shear size though. They have grown up in an era of relative economic prosperity, stability, and decreasing crime. Therefore, they are much more motivated and optimistic about the future than previous generations. They are very entertainment driven, and they are not afraid to spend money on items they desire. Due to these characteristics, marketers spend a lot of time and energy targeting these youths with items ranging from athletic shoes and hair clips to cars and computers. As a result, this generation is also the most marketing savvy and brand conscious generation in American history. Perhaps, the most significant defining characteristic of this generation is that it is the first to grow-up online. Youth today have never known a world without computers and digital connections. They are extremely comfortable with technology. As a result of the “connected” environment in which they live, members of Generation Y have come to expect quick, easy connections and interactivity. They have high expectations of most products and services, and do not hesitate to discard items that do not meet those expectations. Despite their optimism and prosperity, members of Generation Y face worries and pressures their parents may have never encountered. They are often concerned about not performing well in school, not having enough money, getting cancer or AIDS, and experiencing violence (e.g. gangs and school shootings) or peer pressure (e.g. such as to engage in alcohol, drugs, and sexual behavior). It is not just older youth who are facing these issues either. The pressures faced by kids today are happening earlier than ever before, which reveals the need for interventions at even younger ages. For example, about one-quarter of high school students have smoked a cigarette before the age of 13, and about one-third say they tried alcohol before the age of 13. In addition, nearly half of boys and girls in high school have already had sexual intercourse, and 3 million have already been infected with a sexually transmitted disease. They are also experiencing increased pressures and worries about their appearance, often eating too much or too little. About 40% of high school students have tried to lose weight in the last month, often resorting to unhealthy methods of weight reduction such as crash dieting, vomiting, or use of laxatives. At the same time, today’s youth are relatively inactive and often prefer to watch TV and surf the Internet rather than engage in physical activity. These statistics indicate an opportunity may exist to better educate and inform Generation Y about health issues and concerns in a way that improves their lives and futures. Fortunately, many vehicles exist for communicating with today’s youth about these issues. They are heavy users of traditional media such as television, radio, and magazines. Additionally, there are more youth-specific media outlets than ever before. This generation is also surfing the Internet in record numbers. Kids and teens are the fastest growing groups of Internet users. Today, approximately 17 million youth use the Internet, and this figure is expected to grow to 38.5 million by 2002. Jupiter Communications estimates, by 2003, 27 percent of Internet users will be under the age of 18. The Internet is becoming more and more prevalent in both homes and schools. Sources reveal that 24 percent of children aged 6 to 12 have Internet access at home. By 2002, that number is expected to reach 50 percent. Sources also report that 52 percent of youths use the Internet at school, and almost 95 percent of them use computers. Research indicates by 2002 there will be 20.2 million students with access to the Internet in the classroom. Additionally, by year-end 2000, 90 percent of public schools will have access to the Internet. These numbers reveal what a powerful tool the Internet is to reach this audience. The Internet also has a significant impact on this audience. Generation Y views the Internet as a natural and critical component of their future. Over half prefer the Internet to watching television, although usage penetration and time spent with this new medium still trails television by some distance. Some believe their preference for the Internet is driven by the idea that the Internet represents freedom and an escape from peer pressure. The Internet also reportedly caters to the preference for interactive entertainment over passive entertainment, which is traditionally delivered by other media. Today’s youth are receptive to educational messages on the Internet as well. More than 50 percent of youth say they use the Internet for help with homework, and more than 90 percent use the Internet to learn. They also use the Internet for research and to read online magazines and newspapers. Members of Generation Y also turn to the Internet for information about hobbies and things of personal interest. Some of the most popular online activities among youth include playing games, sending e-mail, and chatting online. Although boys and girls spend roughly the same amount of time online, girls and boys have different Internet preferences. Girls prefer to use the Internet for shopping and chatting, while boys prefer online gaming and information gathering. More specifically, girls like to spend time enjoying collaborative online activities, such as exploring characters, and sharing activities with friends. They value story lines, characters, worthwhile goals, social interactions, and creative activities or challenges. On the other hand, boys prefer short, interactive games that focus on competition. They value entertainment, action, adventure, challenge, and violence. Both boys and girls are very demanding consumers of Web content. Many reveal they want substantive and appropriate content that changes frequently. In addition, they want personalization and respect on the Internet, often seeking sites designed just for them. In terms of site formats, youths often say they desire more images (pictures) and less text. In addition, they want sites that are simple to navigate, feature few layers or choices, and have large or easy to read type. This has led some experts to recommend that sites have only three or four featured sections with prominent type. Color appears to have equal significance; blue conjures images of “success,” “intelligence,” “trust,” and “welcoming”; red represents “speed” and “warmth”; yellow depicts “playful” and “easy”; and black indicates “complicated,” “outdated,” and “high-tech.” There are a lot of opportunities on the Web right now to develop relevant health content and partnerships for the youth market. Currently, America Online is the dominant youth service provider. The Kids Only channel on AOL has the largest audience of kids under 12 of any other online service provider. AOL is also the top online service provider for teens. Yet, AOL does not have a specific area for health information for kids and teens. This fact may point to a significant opportunity to reach a lot of youths with health messages and education. There may also be many other sites that want health information and links for youth, but do not want to develop their own content in this area. Parents also represent a large audience for health-related Web content. Research indicates family households represent 42 percent of total online households or 18.5 million households. This statistics indicates the Internet may be an effective method for reaching parents as well as their children. Parents today are also concerned about the health and safety of their kids. In 1977, 30 percent of parents feared for their child’s safety at school. In 1999, that number had increased to 52 percent. Parents need resources to answer their questions about these issues, and to help them communicate with their children about them as well. Teachers would benefit from relevant health and science education materials on the Internet as well. Youths are increasingly going online at school, and teachers need effective teaching resources on the Web to use in the classroom. There are currently tools teachers can use for health and science classes, but the national education standards for these subjects are aggressive. Additional tools could help teachers better meet the goals set for educating youth about health and science. Additionally, a lot of the current sites promoted to teachers are commercial sites developed by marketers to reach young consumers. An objective source of information and quality educational materials may be more credible and useful to this audience.
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Agency:	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date of Report:	1/1/2000

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Report Title:	High-Risk Drinking in College: What We Know and What We Need to Learn -- Final Report of the Panel on Contexts and Consequences
*Abstract:*	In recognition of the serious and sometimes fatal consequences of alcohol consumption among college students, the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, established two panels of nongovernment experts to help the Institute develop a national research agenda to better address the problem. The panels included college presidents and administrators, well-known alcohol researchers, and students. The two panels are Contexts and Consequences (Panel 1) and Prevention and Treatment (Panel 2). This report represents the work of the Panel on Contexts and Consequences and is based on 12 commissioned, peer-reviewed papers by experts in the field and extensive discussion among panel members and the authors of the papers. It focuses on what is known about drinking in college and its consequences and on gaps in knowledge that need further study. The report also places a special emphasis on heavy drinking, including binge drinking, because of its potentially serious consequences. High-Risk Drinking in College: What We Know and What We Need To Learn An Entrenched Problem Alcohol use on college campuses is not a new problem; it has been documented in the United States for at least 50 years. However, recent concerns have centered on heavy episodic drinking, a potentially dangerous practice often termed “binge drinking,” and usually defined as consuming five drinks or more in a row for men and four drinks or more in a row for women. According to this definition, about two out of five college students have engaged in binge drinking in the past 2 weeks. An additional two out of five college students drink—but not to excess—while one in five does not use alcohol at all. In recognition of the serious and sometimes fatal consequences of alcohol consumption among college students, the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, established two panels of nongovernment experts to help the Institute develop a national research agenda to better address the problem. The panels included college presidents and administrators, well-known alcohol researchers, and students. The two panels are Contexts and Consequences (Panel 1) and Prevention and Treatment (Panel 2). This report represents the work of the Panel on Contexts and Consequences and is based on 12 commissioned, peer-reviewed papers by experts in the field and extensive discussion among panel members and the authors of the papers. It focuses on what is known about drinking in college and its consequences and on gaps in knowledge that need further study. The report also places a special emphasis on heavy drinking, including binge drinking, because of its potentially serious consequences. Because colleges vary widely in their drinking rates, it would be inaccurate to characterize all colleges as having an equally urgent drinking problem. But among college students who do drink heavily, the problem is serious: the two out of five students who engage in binge drinking risk a wide range of alcohol-related consequences, including grave injuries and death. Student Alcohol Consumption: Multiple Influences The Panel found that on many college campuses, heavy drinking is interwoven overtly or subtly throughout the culture of the institution. As a result, students perceive this drinking pattern as the social norm rather than as unhealthy and potentially destructive behavior. Research consistently shows that there is no one cause of excessive alcohol use by college students, and the Panel thought that it would be naive and misleading to adopt a simplistic view of, or approach to, this problem. College student drinking is the product of many factors working together. Among them are: Students’ value systems and personalities; Students’ expectations regarding alcohol’s effects (whether good or bad); Genetic predisposition, often reflected in a family history of alcoholism; Roles and influence of family background and peers; Social integration of drinking into college life; Social context in which drinking takes place (e.g., on- or off-campus parties, on- or off-campus bars); Marketing mechanisms such as reduced-price drink specials and promotional efforts; Economic availability of alcohol, including its retail price and the amount of students’ disposable income; Legal availability of alcohol; Social and institutional structures, including law enforcement; and Public policy. Developmental processes: Drinking problems among college students are also closely tied to developmental processes. Binge drinking rates are lower at younger ages, increase in later adolescence, and drop off in the mid-twenties. The college years are a time of transition, involving challenges and changes in identity, social relationships, and living arrangements. However, these transitions also affect noncollege peers, suggesting that what is often interpreted as a campus-based problem may be attributable, in part, to the broader social and biological processes that characterize late adolescence and early adulthood in general. Factors such as greater personal freedom and independence, greater involvement in social and dating relationships, and freedom from the responsibilities of marriage and family life appear to be intricately linked to greater alcohol involvement. Elevated drinking levels: College drinking occurs at a stage in life when drinking levels are generally elevated. The age period from 19 to 24 is associated with the highest prevalence of periodic heavy alcohol consumption during the life span (Johnston et al., 2001b). Although, on average, college students may drink on fewer occasions than their noncollegiate peers, they drink heavily (e.g., five or more drinks in a sitting) on a more frequent basis than nonstudents, placing them at especially high risk for the consequences of heavy consumption. Preexisting drinking problems: Because colleges and universities are the social institutions that help many youth make the transition from adolescence to adulthood, they often become the playing field on which the developmental problems of this life stage, including alcohol misuse, unfold. Panel members pointed out that the drinking patterns of some college students represent the continuation of behavior that began during high school or even earlier. When these problems emerge at age 18 or 19, they are labeled “college problems,” although they may actually be “high school” or “middle school problems.” Viewed from this perspective, while the college experience may serve to “identify” or, in some cases, amplify excessive drinking, it does not necessarily cause it. Aspects of campus life supporting drinking: Research does, however, suggest that there are aspects of certain college environments that may support or facilitate drinking among students. These factors include commingling of students under the legal drinking age of 21 with those who can drink legally, substantial amounts of unstructured time, and student-oriented alcohol advertising. College student drinkers: Research shows that: Male college students tend to drink more than female college students; White college students tend to drink more than their African-American and Hispanic peers; Members of fraternities and sororities tend to drink more than students who do not participate in the Greek system; College athletes tend to drink more than peers who are not involved with campus-based sports; and As a group, college students are less likely to use drugs than their noncollege peers. College students vary greatly in their use of alcohol and their beliefs about its positive and negative effects. Studies show that two major drinking patterns appear dominant among college students: (1) drinking related to impulsivity, disinhibition, and sensation-seeking; and (2) drinking to manage negative emotional states, such as depression. Multiple Negative Consequences The negative consequences of excessive drinking can be severe for both those college students who drink and those around them. Personal consequences: Students who drink heavily may experience a range of personal consequences that include missing class, academic difficulties, dropping out of school, problems with friends, health problems, and unprotected or unwanted sex. Excessive use of alcohol can also increase the likelihood that students will engage in high-risk sex, behave aggressively, or perpetrate or experience sexual assault. These consequences are highlighted because they can have severe, long-term repercussions including contracting a sexually transmitted disease, becoming pregnant unintentionally, developing an arrest record, or living with the emotional devastation caused by rape. Research clearly demonstrates that heavy alcohol use by college students is associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Alcohol impairs information processing and reasoning and heightens the salience of simple cues to action (such as sexual arousal) while blunting the more distal consequences of behavior (such as the risk of HIV infection). Students who drink excessively are two to three times more likely to have had multiple sexual partners in the past month than those who drink responsibly. Similarly, drinking on a first date is associated with a twofold to threefold increase in the probability of having sex on that date. Data also show that alcohol and physical and sexual aggression are linked. Aggressive college students tend to drink more, but it may also be that heavier use increases the likelihood of aggression. At least 50 percent of college student sexual assaults are associated with alcohol use. Typically, both parties in such situations have been drinking when the sexual assault occurs. Alcohol-related sexual assault is underreported, primarily because of the misplaced shame and stigma that surround this violent and personal crime. In addition, approximately one in three 18- to 24-year-olds admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries is intoxicated. Heavy alcohol use is also associated with homicides, suicides, and drownings. The link between excessive alcohol consumption and unsafe driving is well known. About one-half of all fatal traffic crashes among those aged 18 to 24 involve alcohol; many of those killed in this age group are college students. Alcohol can slow a driver’s reaction time, affect concentration, interfere with steering, and impair response to pedestrians and traffic signs and signals. Secondhand effects: Noise and property damage, vomit, and unsightly litter are common byproducts of a night of binge drinking on campus. Some researchers term these consequences “secondhand effects,” because they are similar to the secondhand smoke from tobacco use (Wechsler et al., 1998). More than one-half of college administrators from schools with high levels of excessive drinking report problems with vandalism and property damage. In addition, students who drink excessively are more likely to physically or sexually assault other students. The College Scene Today, there is much heterogeneity in college experiences; only about 13 percent of all undergraduate students live on campus, and 35 percent are enrolled part-time. Some first-year students who live on campus may be at particular risk for alcohol misuse. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the first 6 weeks of enrollment are critical to first-year student success. Because many students initiate heavy drinking during these early days of college, the potential exists for excessive alcohol consumption to interfere with successful adaptation to campus life. Unfortunately, many alcohol prevention programs do not target this early, critical, high-risk situation. College organizational factors are also related to student drinking. For example, historically Black colleges and women’s colleges tend to have lower rates of alcohol use, while colleges with a Greek system and colleges that place a heavy emphasis on athletics tend to have higher rates of alcohol use. Commuter colleges and 2-year institutions tend to have lower alcohol consumption rates than noncommuter schools and 4-year institutions. In terms of size, students at smaller colleges tend to drink more than students at larger schools. U.S. laws require that colleges and universities that receive Federal funding develop an alcohol and drug education policy. In addition to laws, ethical and social obligations dictate that college administrators develop an alcohol policy that is consistent with the institution’s own culture, mission, and values. The Panel noted that once drafted and adopted, an institution’s alcohol policy should be respected and consistently enforced; it should be wholly supported by the college president, students, faculty and staff, and the neighboring community, including law enforcement officers. Factors that may be external to the campus can also affect college student drinking. For example, alcohol pricing and the density of liquor outlets have been shown to influence consumption by college students. Generally, the lower the price and the higher the concentration of bars and retail outlets near campus, the higher the alcohol consumption by college students.
	Details...
Agency:	NIH:National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Date of Report:	4/1/2002

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Report Title:	Monitoring the Future: National Results of Adolescent Drug Use, Overview of Key Findings, 2003
*Abstract:*	First results from the Monitoring the Future study’s 2003 nationwide survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students are given in this report. Recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs are emphasized. Also presented are trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug—which this study has shown to be particularly important in explaining trends in use—as well as trends in perceived availability of each drug.
	Details...
Agency:	NIH:National Institute on Drug Abuse
Date of Report:	6/1/2004

5

Report Title:	Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings 2004
*Abstract:*	First results from the Monitoring the Future study’s 2004 nationwide survey of nearly 50,000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students are given in this report. Recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs are emphasized. Trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug are also presented; this study has shown these beliefs and attitudes to be particularly important in explaining trends in use. In addition, trends in the perceived availability of each drug are presented.
	Details...
Agency:	NIH:National Institute on Drug Abuse
Date of Report:	6/1/2005

Displaying: 1-5 of 5 documents