Race and Ethnic Differences in Attempts to Cut Down or Quit Substance Use in a High School Sample

Much attention has been given to the initiation and progression of substance involvement of youth. Less is known about decrements in substance use and cessation efforts among adolescents from diverse race/ethnic backgrounds. The present study examined substance use and attempts to reduce or quit sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse 2003, Vol.2 (3), p.83-103
Main Authors: Lopez-Viets, Vanessa C., Aarons, Gregory A., Ellingstad, Timothy P., Brown, Sandra A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adolescent
Adolescents
alcohol
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol use
Asian Americans
California
Cessation
cigarette
Drinking behavior
drug
Drug Abuse
Drug problem
Drug use
Ethnic differences
Ethnicity
high school
High School Students
High schools
Hispanic Americans
quit
Race
Racial Differences
San Diego, California
Secondary school students
Smoking
Smoking cessation
Social conditions
Students
Substance abuse
United States
USA
Whites
Youth
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Summary:Much attention has been given to the initiation and progression of substance involvement of youth. Less is known about decrements in substance use and cessation efforts among adolescents from diverse race/ethnic backgrounds. The present study examined substance use and attempts to reduce or quit substance use among adolescents from three race/ethnic groups. Participants were 3,756 Asian-American, Latino, and White high-school students surveyed regarding use of cigarettes, alcohol, illicit drugs, alcohol-related consequences, and substance use cessation efforts. Results indicated that Latino and White students had similar lifetime prevalence rates of alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use relative to Asian Americans. Although Latino youths reported lower or comparable rates of alcohol use compared to Whites, they experienced more legal consequences related to their use. A higher proportion of Latinos indicated attempts to reduce or stop alcohol use in comparison to Asian Americans and Whites, and to reduce/stop drug use in comparison to Whites. Adolescents experiencing negative alcohol-related consequences were more apt to attempt to change their substance use than students reporting no consequences. However, few race/ethnic differences were identified in regard to preferred strategies to restrict or cease substance involvement. Implications for adolescent substance use interventions are discussed.
ISSN:1533-2640
1533-2659
DOI:10.1300/J233v02n03_05