Alcohol and drug use among youth has been of increased concern to educators, politicians, parents, and students in the past few years. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence and use of alcohol and drugs in the rural region of northern Idaho and eastern Washington state. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic…

Numerous reviews and studies have documented high levels of substance use and abuse in the United States when compared to other developed nations. Previous research has identified several factors which place adolescents at risk for substance abuse. This study was designed to replicate and validate some of these risk factors with youth from rural…

More research into illicit substance abuse in rural African-American communities is needed. The existing literature indicates that patterns of use for licit substances (alcohol and cigarettes) are either similar for rural Blacks and Whites or lower for Blacks. However, the negative health and social consequences of smoking and abusive drinking are…

Compared substance use perceptions and behavior using a sample of 3,009 African American youth. Overall, substance abuse is perceived as a serious problem at school. Early substance use and peer influence are major determinants of later substance use, although important differences exist in the prediction of alcohol and marijuana use. (RJM)

Surveyed all secondary school students (n=1,175) in rural county school system to assess prevalence rates of substance use for teenagers and their parents. Age, sex, and race were related to frequency and type of substance abuse. Lifestyle variables such as music preferences, sexual activity, and choice of friends also related to substance use.…

A study was done to determine if certain social variables outside of the school environment would show a relationship with substance abuse. Non-school activities considered were organized athletics, clubs, and music and drama organizations. A survey was distributed to 7,426 secondary school and middle school students in a large Midwestern…

Two cases of youth violence in southwestern New Mexico, one involving an Anglo youth and one a Mexican American youth, highlight the diversity of the area and the biased treatment of Mexican American youth. New Mexico demographics suggest a link between diversity and high rates of crime and violence. National reports clearly report the extent of…

This publication combines three papers on rural and urban youth issues. "Key Issues Facing Rural Youth" (Daniel F. Perkins) notes that rural adolescents share the same concerns and exhibit the same problem behaviors as their urban counterparts. But in addition, geographic isolation presents problems unique to rural areas. A framework is proposed…

The relationships among drug use, health beliefs, peer use, sex, and religion were examined using data collected from 265 seventh graders in rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin in January and February of 1984. Positive relationships were found between drug use and peer use and health beliefs. (TJH)

This paper examines the links between various personal and social risk factors and drug use among youth living in rural communities. Data were collected through self-report surveys administered to 1,656 7th- and 8th-grade students and 1,205 11th- and 12th-grade students in 9 rural communities with populations ranging from 451 to 18,400. Surveys…

This survey on the health status of Native American adolescents living on or near reservations was completed by 14,000 American Indian and Alaska Native youths from 50 tribes attending 200 schools in 12 states. Results indicate that most Native teenagers felt their family cared about them a great deal, and many would go to a family member first…