NCJ Number
156254
Date Published
1988
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The National Adolescent School Health Survey conducted in the fall of 1987 gathered information from approximately 11,000 8th and 10th grade students from public and private schools regarding illicit drug use, cigarette and alcohol use, suicide and depression, violence, AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and nutrition.
Abstract
Results revealed that 51 percent of 8th grade students and 63 percent of 10th grade students reported having tried cigarettes, and 16 percent of 8th grade students and 26 percent of 10th grade students reported having smoked a cigarette during the past month. Seventy-seven percent of 8th grade students had tried alcohol; of these, 55 percent first tried it by grade 6. Thirty-four percent of 8th grade students and 53 percent of 10th grade students reported consuming alcohol during the past month; 26 percent of 8th graders and 38 percent of 10th graders reported having five or more drinks on at least one occasion during the past 2 weeks. Eighty-six percent perceived a moderate or great risk from smoking cigarettes daily; 80 percent perceived a moderate or great risk from the regular use of alcohol. Table