Presenter Information

Jennifer McCutchen

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom B/C/D

Event Website

http://www.cwu.edu/source/

Start Date

21-5-2015

End Date

21-5-2015

Keywords

Adolescents, Drug Use, Guam

Abstract

As a United States territory, the island of Guam is home to 159,358 individuals, including adolescents and young adults. Drug activity among Guamanian youth has increased considerably over the last 20 years. The purpose of this study is to examine trends in drug-related activities and behaviors among adolescents on the island of Guam, using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) public data set. Participating in drug use, sale, or other distribution during adolescence has been associated with declining grades, dropping out of high school, patterns of criminal activity, and both physical and mental health conditions, making it a concerning public health issue. The 2013 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that 41 percent of youth in Guam reported being offered, sold, or given an illegal drug at school; this is double the national average (CDC, 2015). While we have seen the national average going down since 2001, the rates in Guam have increased by 14 percent since 2001 and, despite these concerning statistics, very little evidence exists to suggest why the burden of illegal drug sale or distribution on school property is higher in Guam than in other parts of the United States and territories. We will explore both school-based and other related drug behaviors reported by the YRBSS dataset from 1995 to 2013. This study is a preliminary effort to a larger study of drug perceptions among youth that will take place in Guam as a part of a faculty-mentored research experience in Summer 2015, partially funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Poster Number

18

Faculty Mentor(s)

Tishra Beeson

Department/Program

Physical Education, School & Public Health

Additional Mentoring Department

Physical Education, School & Public Health

Included in

Public Health Commons

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May 21st, 11:30 AM May 21st, 2:00 PM

Trends in Youth Drug Behavior in Guam

SURC Ballroom B/C/D

As a United States territory, the island of Guam is home to 159,358 individuals, including adolescents and young adults. Drug activity among Guamanian youth has increased considerably over the last 20 years. The purpose of this study is to examine trends in drug-related activities and behaviors among adolescents on the island of Guam, using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) public data set. Participating in drug use, sale, or other distribution during adolescence has been associated with declining grades, dropping out of high school, patterns of criminal activity, and both physical and mental health conditions, making it a concerning public health issue. The 2013 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that 41 percent of youth in Guam reported being offered, sold, or given an illegal drug at school; this is double the national average (CDC, 2015). While we have seen the national average going down since 2001, the rates in Guam have increased by 14 percent since 2001 and, despite these concerning statistics, very little evidence exists to suggest why the burden of illegal drug sale or distribution on school property is higher in Guam than in other parts of the United States and territories. We will explore both school-based and other related drug behaviors reported by the YRBSS dataset from 1995 to 2013. This study is a preliminary effort to a larger study of drug perceptions among youth that will take place in Guam as a part of a faculty-mentored research experience in Summer 2015, partially funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/posters/72