Youth Substance Use
Not well. After at least 15 years of actively working to reduce the use of alcohol by Missoula young people, we have at best stayed the same. Missoula and Montana continue to have youth alcohol use rates above the national average.
For an outline of what is currently in place in Missoula to contend with this issue: Missoula Youth Alcohol Use Risk Reduction System
Related Measures Protective Factors , Tobacco Use , Alcohol Use, Youth Delinquency, Youth Sexual Activity, Children, Youth, Families, Traffic Crashes, Health
Missoula Youth Alcohol Use Data
The following data are from the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (Oct. 1998). The Missoula data are from Missoula County Public Schools district.
Lifetime Alcohol Use Frequency
Percent Occasions
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
0 39
40
20
22
14
15
1--2 19
20
13
12
7
8
3--5 13
12
10
12
8
8
6--9 9
8
8
10
8
7
10--more 21
21
48
43
63
62
30 Day Alcohol Use Frequency
Percent
Occasions
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
0 71
72
48
54
42
46
1--2 17
15
20
20
20
20
3--5 5
6
12
11
13
13
6--9 3
3
8
7
10
9
10--more 3
4
10
9
12
12
How many times have you had 5+ drinks?
Percent
Occasions
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
0 84
82
63
68
57
62
1--2 9
10
22
19
23
21
3--5 4
4
10
7
12
10
6--9 0.4
1
3
2
4
3
10--more 2
2
4
3
4
4
Parent How Wrong For You to Use Alcohol
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
Very wrong 75
75
56
60
40
45
Wrong 16
16
24
24
32
29
Little wrong 8
7
16
13
22
21
Not wrong 1
2
3
3
5
5
Family alcohol or drug problem history
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
No 71
68
61
62
62
61
Yes 29
32
39
38
38
39
Received alcohol or drug ticket
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
No 97
94
89
91
80
82
Yes 3
5
11
9
20
18
Missoula County Population Estimates (July 1998) By Age and Gender (useful in translating percentages and rates into actual numbers in certain age categories, or vice versa) Missoula County Population
How easy to get alcohol
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
Very hard 20
21
6
7
5
49
Sort of hard 16
19
11
11
9
29
Sort of easy 27
25
30
34
33
37
Very easy 36
35
52
47
53
50
Marijuana
Lifetime Marijuana Use
Percent
Occasions
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
0
79
78
52
57
42
47
1--2 7
6
7
8
10
9
3--5 3
3
5
5
6
7
6--9 2
2
5
4
6
5
10--more 8
9
30
25
36
33
30 Day Marijuana Use
Percent
Occasions
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
0
88
88
72
75
74
74
1--2 5
4
8
8
7
8
3--5 3
3
5
5
4
3
6--9 1
1
4
3
3
3
10--more 3
4
12
9
10
11
How easy to get marijuana
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
Very hard 46
46
17
17
10
10
Sort of hard 15
15
15
16
11
14
Sort of easy 14
15
19
24
25
28
Very easy 25
24
49
43
53
48
Source: Montana Prevention Needs Assessment (Oct. 1998)
Risk factors are characteristics that occur statistically more often for those who develop alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems, either as adolescents or as adults. Recent research points to a considerable number of such factors, grouped into four major areas of life, commonly known as "domains":
Among addictive behaviors, cigarette smoking is the one most likely to become established during adolescence. Approximately 80% of persons who use tobacco begin before the age of 18 (USDHHS 1994). People who begin smoking at an early age are more likely to develop severe levels of nicotine addiction than those who start later. Tobacco use is also associated with alcohol and illicit drug use, and is generally the first drug used by young people who enter a sequence of drug use (MCCHD, Tobacco Free Missoula).
- 1) indivdual/peer
- 2) family
- 3) school
- 4) community
Missoula Youth Use (Oct. 1998)
Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Percent Occasions 8th Msla 8th Mt. 10th Msla 10th Mt 12th Msla 12th Mt Never 55 51 39 37 31 29 Once or twice 21 20 19 19 18 18 Not regularly 11 13 14 16 17 20 Regularly in past 7 7 11 10 13 11 Regularly now 5
10 16 17 21 22
30 day smoking frequency Percent Occasions 8th Msla 8th Mt. 10th Msla 10th Mt 12th Msla 12th Mt Not at all 86 80 71 68 64 62 <1/day 9 10 10 12 11 12 1--5/day 3 6 8 9 12 12 1/2 pack/day 1 2 4 5 6 7 1 pack/day or more 1 2 6 5 6 7
Parent How Wrong For You to Use Cigarettes
Percent
8th Msla
8th Mt.
10th Msla
10th Mt
12th Msla
12th Mt
Very wrong 81
78
69
67
51
50
Wrong 14
20
17
20
27
27
Little wrong 3
9
10
9
14
15
Not wrong 2
4
4
4
7
7
Source: Montana Prevention Needs Assessment (Oct. 1998)
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