HHS HealthBeat (January 30, 2008)

What the teens said about drugs

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

For teens, like the rest of us, a visit to the doctor for one reason can sometimes lead to a discovery of something else. Researchers saw that when they looked at results of a drug use questionnaire called the CRAFFT screen, which they gave to teens getting routine outpatient care.

John Knight of Children’s Hospital Boston:

``Almost 15 percent of the adolescents screened positive on the CRAFFT test, which is defined as having two or more questions that are answered with a yes.’’ (9 seconds)

Substance abuse that starts in the teen years can have devastating consequences. The researchers say it’s associated with leading causes of teen death.

The study supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 29 2008