The effect of school dropout rates on estimates of adolescent substance use among three racial/ethnic groups

This study examined, across three racial/ethnic groups, how the inclusion of data on drug use of dropouts can alter estimates of adolescent drug use rates. Self-report rates of lifetime prevalence and use in the previous 30 days were obtained from Mexican American, White non-Hispanic, and Native Ame...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 1997-01, Vol.87 (1), p.51-55
Main Authors: Swaim, R C, Beauvais, F, Chavez, E L, Oetting, E R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age
At risk students
Bias
Biological and medical sciences
Cohort Studies
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Dropping out
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug use
Estimates
European Continental Ancestry Group
Factors
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Indians, North American
Medical sciences
Mexican Americans
Minority & ethnic groups
Native North Americans
Native students
Polls & surveys
Population
Prevalence
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public health
Public schools
Racial differences
School districts
School dropout programs
School dropouts
Secondary schools
Student Dropouts - statistics & numerical data
Students
Substance abuse
Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology
Teenagers
United States - epidemiology
USA
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Summary:This study examined, across three racial/ethnic groups, how the inclusion of data on drug use of dropouts can alter estimates of adolescent drug use rates. Self-report rates of lifetime prevalence and use in the previous 30 days were obtained from Mexican American, White non-Hispanic, and Native American student (n = 738) and dropouts (n = 774). Rates for the age cohort (students and dropouts) were estimated with a weighted correction formula. Rates of use reported by dropouts were 1.2 to 6.4 times higher than those reported by students. Corrected rates resulted in changes in relative rates of use by different ethnic groups. When only in-school data are available, errors in estimating drug use among groups with high rates of school dropout can be substantial. Correction of student-based data to include drug use of dropouts leads to important changes in estimated levels of drug use and alters estimates of the relative rates of use for racial/ethnic minority groups with high dropout rates.
ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.87.1.51