NCJ Number
196959
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 37 Issue: 5-7 Dated: 2002 Pages: VII-XII
Date Published
2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This introduction describes substance use in rural communities.
Abstract
Rural communities have smaller populations and a lower population density. While communities all over the world share common characteristics of being rural, there are also differences. Findings show that although the prevalence of smoking is higher among rural youth, there are regional differences. Smoking prevalence among youth is lowest in the West and highest in the South. In most regions, except the West, adolescent males smoke more than adolescent females. Reports on substance use among rural adolescents in Costa Rica show that the gap between male and female use reported in past studies has diminished. In Costa Rica, use of substances other than alcohol and tobacco is still relatively rare among rural youth. Teenagers in the remote Hebrides islands of Scotland consume substances largely for the social aspect. The relationship of rurality to crime in New South Wales, Australia is examined. Arrest rates for breaking and entering, assault, and vandalism showed statistically significant associations across different types of rural communities, but drug-related arrests varied considerably less. HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users in Kentucky, a relatively rural State, is discussed. Rural communities and populations can be vulnerable because they frequently lack the medical facilities and expertise necessary for the early detection and treatment of drug misuse and HIV/AIDS. In Nigeria, the social patterns of drinking are changing, with women and adolescents increasing their consumption. The cultivation of plants such as coca in Peru is a major source of revenue for families and other groups, who place the responsibility of drug misuse on the consumer. Other issues discussed are excessive drinking in some rural parts of Israel although there are strict prohibitions; the relationship between migration, social cohesion, and substance abuse in rural Mexico; the development of the Community Education Work Group in the United States; and resources on the Internet used by communities to address substance-use prevention and intervention. 3 references