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Objective: This study examined past-2-week driving after marijuana use (DMU) and driving after having five or more drinks (D5D) during young adulthood, specifically focusing on associations between within-person change in social roles (living situation, marriage, parenthood, education, employment) and mediators (perceived risk, evenings out, and religiosity) from modal ages 19 to 30.Method: Multilevel analyses were conducted using survey data collected from 2013 to 2019 from 1,873 adults (1,060 women; total number of data collection waves = 7,037) participating in the longitudinal Monitoring the Future study.Results: Change across waves from not being married to married was associated with lower DMU likelihood at any particular wave both directly and via mediation through wave-level change in evenings out. Change in employment (not employed to employed full time) was associated with higher D5D likelihood at any particular wave both directly and via mediation through change in evenings out. Wave-level change in other social roles was indirectly associated with DMU/D5D likelihood via wave-level change in evenings out.Conclusions: Change in all social roles examined was associated with change in evenings out, which appears to be a primary, proximal predictor of young adult DMU/D5D. Improved understanding of how socialization change is associated with driving after substance use may strengthen efforts to reduce the harms associated with such driving behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined past-2-week driving after marijuana use (DMU) and driving after having five or more drinks (D5D) during young adulthood, specifically focusing on associations between within-person change in social roles (living situation, marriage, parenthood, education, employment) and mediators (perceived risk, evenings out, and religiosity) from modal ages 19 to 30. Method: Multilevel analyses were conducted using survey data collected from 2013 to 2019 from 1,873 adults (1,060 women; total number of data collection waves = 7,037) participating in the longitudinal Monitoring the Future study. Results: Change across waves from not being married to married was associated with lower DMU likelihood at any particular wave both directly and via mediation through wave-level change in evenings out. Change in employment (not employed to employed full time) was associated with higher D5D likelihood at any particular wave both directly and via mediation through change in evenings out. Wave-level change in other social roles was indirectly associated with DMU/D5D likelihood via wave-level change in evenings out. Conclusions: Change in all social roles examined was associated with change in evenings out, which appears to be a primary, proximal predictor of young adult DMU/D5D. Improved understanding of how socialization change is associated with driving after substance use may strengthen efforts to reduce the harms associated with such driving behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study (a) examined changes in marijuana and cigarette initiation sequencing and (b) considered implications of such changes for prevention efforts by examining associations between initiation sequencing and current adolescent substance use. Analyses used 2000–2019 cross-sectional data from the national Monitoring the Future (MTF) study (78,252 U.S. 12th grade students). Models examined trends in six distinct patterns of initiation order, and multivariable associations between order of initiation and 30-day cigarette and marijuana use prevalence, cigarette and marijuana use frequency among users, and nicotine and marijuana vaping prevalence. While the percentage of students initiating neither cigarettes nor marijuana increased, increases also were observed in marijuana-only initiation (the fastest-growing pattern) and initiation of marijuana before cigarettes; these increases were accompanied by a significant decrease in cigarette-only initiation. Cigarette use prevalence and frequency were highest among students initiating cigarettes before marijuana; marijuana use prevalence and frequency were highest among students initiating marijuana before cigarettes. Cigarette and marijuana prevalence, as well as marijuana frequency, were lowest among students initiating only a single substance. Nicotine vaping was less prevalent among students initiating a single substance versus both substances, but no significant differences were observed in nicotine vaping prevalence between those initiating only cigarettes versus only marijuana. Implications of these findings for prevention efforts are discussed in the frameworks of both the common liability model and route of administration model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study estimated the percentage of age 35 and 55 adults reporting using medical marijuana intended for someone else (diverted use) and compared demographics and health status of such users with respondents reporting recommended use (i.e., individuals with a medical marijuana recommendation for their own health conditions) and to respondents using marijuana not intended for medical use (nonmedical marijuana [NMM] use).Method: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using complex sample survey data collected from 2013 to 2018 from 12,138 adults (6,998 women) at modal ages 35 or 55 participating in the U.S. national Monitoring the Future study.Results: Diverted use was reported by 72.9% [95% CI, 66.4, 79.4] and 64.3% [56.0, 72.7] of age 35 and 55 past-12-month medical marijuana users, respectively. Age 35 diverted users were more likely than recommended users to not work full time and have no postsecondary education. Age 55 recommended users were more likely than NMM users to be retired. Age 35 diverted users were less likely than recommended users to report poor physical health (odds ratio [OR] = 0.40 [0.17, 0.94]). Age 55 diverted users were less likely than recommended users to report three or more poor health conditions (OR = 0.22 [0.09, 0.55]) and any qualifying conditions (OR = 0.21 [0.08, 0.58]). Prevalence of these conditions was similar between diverted and NMM users.Conclusions: Results indicated a substantial degree of nonmedical (i.e., recreational) marijuana use. Diverted and NMM users reported generally similar levels of health conditions, whereas diverted users had fewer indicators of poor health than recommended users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived risk of harm has long been a key preventive factor for adolescent marijuana use. However, in recent years, perceived risk has decreased markedly and marijuana use has increased only slightly, leading to new questions about their association. This study investigates the magnitude and stability of the US adolescent marijuana risk/use association from 1991 to 2016, overall and by gender and race/ethnicity.Methods: Self-reported data on past 12-month marijuana use, perceived risk of regular marijuana use, gender, and race/ethnicity were obtained from 275,768 US 12th grade students participating in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future study. Time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) was used to examine the marijuana risk/use association over time.Results: Both before and after controlling for gender and race/ethnicity, perceived risk was a strong protective factor against adolescent marijuana use. The magnitude of the great risk/use association strengthened for Hispanic students; remained generally stable over time for 12th graders overall, males, females, and White students; and weakened for Black students. The magnitude of the moderate risk/use association strengthened for 12th graders overall, males, females, White and Hispanic students, but did not continue to strengthen for Black students from 2005 onwards. In general, marijuana use prevalence decreased over time within all levels of perceived risk.Conclusions: Perceived risk remains a strong protective factor for adolescent marijuana use, and the protective association for moderate risk (vs. no/slight risk) is actually increasing over time. Results suggest that accurate and credible information on the risks associated with marijuana use should remain a key component of prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This descriptive study identified latent classes of longitudinal marijuana use from ages 18 through 50 among a national sample; examined covariate associations with class membership regarding use/non-use, use intensity, and use duration; and described associations between identified latent classes and age 50 health outcomes.Methods: The study involved collection and primary analysis of data from 9831 individuals first surveyed as 12th graders in the national Monitoring the Future study and followed through modal age 50. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported past 12-month marijuana use.Results: Seven latent classes of marijuana use from ages 18 to 50 were identified including Non-users (44%), two classes characterized by shorter-term use patterns (totaling 28%), and four classes characterized by longer-term moderate or heavy use (totaling 28%). Use reduction appeared particularly likely during early and late 20s. Gender, parental education, alcohol/cigarette use, religious commitment, and marital status differentiated use/non-use, use intensity, and use duration after high school. In non-causal models controlling for covariates, longer-term marijuana use classes (where use extended into the late 20s or beyond) were associated with significantly higher odds of negative health outcomes at age 50.Conclusions: Approximately 28% of the national sample reported longer-term moderate/heavy marijuana use, which was associated with negative health outcomes at age 50. The early and late 20s may be especially important periods for marijuana use prevention and intervention efforts, which may be strengthened by recognition of characteristics that appear to have significant associations with persistent use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Long‐term frequent marijuana use is associated with significant negative outcomes, yet little is known about the longitudinal course of marijuana use among those who start frequent use during adolescence. Objectives are (a) to identify latent patterns of within‐person marijuana use from ages 19–30 years among 12th graders reporting frequent marijuana use, (b) to examine if membership in identified patterns has changed across historical time and (c) to examine if key covariates differentiate class membership. Design, Setting, Participants: Longitudinal, national US panel data from 4423 individuals [53.4% of the eligible sample; 2744 (62%) males] who reported frequent marijuana use in 12th grade (modal age 18 years; senior year cohorts 1976–2006) followed biennially from ages 19/20 to 29/30. Measurements Self‐reported past 30‐day marijuana use (frequent use defined as use on 20+ occasions), demographics, college graduation, marriage and parenthood. Findings Repeated‐measures latent class analysis (RMLCA) identified five latent classes of past 30‐day marijuana use from ages 19/20 to 29/30: continued frequent users (estimated membership 23.4%); frequent to non‐frequent users (15.5%); consistent non‐frequent users (18.4%); non‐frequent users to discontinuers (19.5%); and discontinuers (23.2%). In multivariable models, membership in the highest‐risk latent class (continued frequent users) versus one or more of the lower‐risk latent classes was more likely for recent cohorts (P = 0.038 to <0.001), as well as those who did not marry (P = 0.039 to < 0.001) or become parents (P = 0.001) by modal age 29/30. Conclusions: Nearly one in four 12th grade (modal age 18 years) frequent marijuana users in the US continues to report high frequency use to age 30; the proportion continuing high frequency use across young adulthood has increased among more recent cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective cigarette smoking prevention and intervention programming is enhanced by accurate understanding of developmental smoking pathways across the life span. This study investigated within-person patterns of cigarette smoking from ages 18 to 50 among a US national sample of high school graduates, focusing on identifying ages of particular importance for smoking involvement change.Aims and Methods: Using data from approximately 15,000 individuals participating in the longitudinal Monitoring the Future study, trichotomous measures of past 30-day smoking obtained at 11 time points were modeled using repeated-measures latent class analyses. Sex differences in latent class structure and membership were examined.Results: Twelve latent classes were identified: three characterized by consistent smoking patterns across age (no smoking; smoking < pack per day; smoking pack + per day); three showing uptake to a higher category of smoking across age; four reflecting successful quit behavior by age 50; and two defined by discontinuous shifts between smoking categories. The same latent class structure was found for both males and females, but membership probabilities differed between sexes. Although evidence of increases or decreases in smoking behavior was observed at virtually all ages through 35, 21/22 and 29/30 appeared to be particularly key for smoking category change within class.Conclusions: This examination of latent classes of cigarette smoking among a national US longitudinal sample of high school graduates from ages 18 to 50 identified unique patterns and critical ages of susceptibility to change in smoking category within class. Such information may be of particular use in developing effective smoking prevention and intervention programming.Implications: This study examined cigarette smoking among a national longitudinal US sample of high school graduates from ages 18 to 50 and identified distinct latent classes characterized by patterns of movement between no cigarette use, light-to-moderate smoking, and the conventional definition of heavy smoking at 11 time points via repeated-measures latent class analysis. Membership probabilities for each smoking class were estimated, and critical ages of susceptibility to change in smoking behaviors were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: The current study documents the characteristics associated with the use of two novel psychoactive substances: synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones.Design and Methods: Nationally representative samples of students in 8th (n = 9665), 10th (n = 10 655) and 12th (n = 10 057) grades across the US were included in the Monitoring the Future study from 2012 to 2014.Results: There were relatively few differences in prevalence based on sociodemographic characteristics, although boys were at greater risk for use of synthetic cannabinoids in 12th grade (used by 10.3% of boys and 6.4% of girls) and for use of synthetic cathinones in 10th grade (used by 1.0% of boys and 0.4% of girls). Synthetic drug use was also associated with truancy and use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana.Discussion and Conclusions: Prevention and intervention efforts for novel psychoactive substance use should focus primarily on polysubstance users and youth who are disengaged from school.[Patrick M, O'Malley P, Kloska D, Schulenberg J, Johnston L, Miech R, Bachman J. Novel psychoactive substance use by US adolescents: Characteristics associated with use of synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:586-590]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examines the role of e-cigarettes in the drug use patterns of adolescents. Of specific interest is whether adolescent e-cigarette users fall into a group of (1) youth who do not use traditional drugs of abuse or (2) polysubstance users.Methods: Using latent class analysis, we identify major "classes" of substance users on the basis of recent use of e-cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and prescription drugs. Analyses are conducted separately for adolescents in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. Data come from 16 615 participants in the 2014 Monitoring the Future survey.Results: Youth who do not use traditional drugs of abuse account for about 50% of e-cigarette users in 8th grade, 35% in 10th grade, and 17% in 12th grade. These youth come from a large "low-level users" group found in each grade, characterized by low probability of use for all substances (e-cigarette probability in this group for 8th graders = .046; 10th graders = .071; 12th graders = .027). Other e-cigarette users come from a smaller, "poly-users" group found in each grade, characterized by high-to-moderate probabilities (.83-.21) of using e-cigarettes and other substances. Specific to 12th grade is a third, additional polysubstance group characterized by high likelihood of e-cigarette use (.93).Conclusions: The proportion of e-cigarette users who do not use traditional drugs of abuse is larger at younger ages. Longitudinal panel studies starting at 8th and 10th grades may best inform the current debate on whether e-cigarette use is a risk or protective factor for future transition to the use of other substances.Implications: The proportion of e-cigarette users who do not use traditional drugs of abuse is larger at younger ages. Longitudinal panel studies starting at 8th and 10th grades may best inform the current debate on whether e-cigarette use is a risk or protective factor for future transition to the use of other substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To present data on trends in foods and beverages offered through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in public middle and high schools in the years immediately preceding and following implementation of new NSLP standards. Method From 2011 to 2013, primary data collection through the annual Youth, Education, and Society study involved use of mailed questionnaires to obtain data on NSLP meals from schools attended by nationally representative samples of US 8 th , 10 th , and 12 th grade students (N = 792 middle schools and 751 high schools). Each school was weighted to represent the percentage of target grade students enrolled, thus allowing analyses examining changes over time in the percentage of students enrolled in (attending) schools with specified NSLP measure outcomes, as well as disparities in NSLP measures based on school characteristics. Results Significantly more US secondary students attended schools with specified NSLP measures in 2013 than in 2011; increases were observed at both middle and high school levels. Increase rates for some NSLP measures were moderated by school characteristics; where this was the case, moderating associations decreased prior NSLP nutrition environment disparities that were especially evident in smaller schools and schools with higher percentages of minority students. Conclusion Meaningful improvements have been made in the nutritional content of NSLP meals offered to US secondary students; these improvements have reduced prior NSLP meal disparities associated with school characteristics. Schools will need continued help with implementation and compliance monitoring in order to have the best opportunity to improve the nutrition environments for US students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To measure changes over time in cigarette smoking uptake prevalence and timing during young adulthood (ages 19-26 years), and associations between time-invariant/-varying characteristics and uptake prevalence/timing. Design Discrete-time survival modeling of data collected from United States high school seniors (modal age 17/18) enrolled in successive graduating classes from 1976 to 2005 and participating in four follow-up surveys (to modal age 25/26). Setting The longitudinal component of the Monitoring the Future study. Participants A total of 10 758 individuals reporting no life-time smoking when first surveyed as high school seniors. Measurements Smoking uptake (any, experimental, occasional and regular); socio-demographic variables; marital, college and work status; time spent socializing. Findings The percentage of young adults moving from non-smoker to experimental smoking [slope estimate 0.11, standard error (SE) = 0.04, P = 0.005] or occasional smoking (slope estimate 0.17, SE = 0.03, P < 0.001) increased significantly across graduating classes; the percentage moving from non-smoker to regular smoker remained stable. All forms of smoking uptake were most likely to occur at age 19/20, but uptake prevalence at older ages increased over time [e.g. cohort year predicting occasional uptake at modal age 25/26 adjusted hazard odds ratio (AHOR) = 1.05, P = 0.002]. Time-invariant/-varying characteristics had unique associations with the timing of various forms of smoking uptake (e.g. at modal age 21/22, currently attending college increased occasional uptake risk (AHOR = 2.11, P < 0.001) but decreased regular uptake risk (AHOR = 0.69, P = 0.026). Conclusions Young adult occasional and experimental smoking uptake increased in the United States for non-smoking high school seniors graduating from 1976 to 2005. Smoking uptake for these cohorts remained most likely to occur at age 19/20, but prevalence of uptake at older ages increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known regarding what sociodemographic characteristics and reasons for use are associated with adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use.Methods: Data from 7845 12th grade students participating in the nationally-representative Monitoring the Future study from 2015 to 2021 were used to examine cross-sectional associations between sociodemographics, heavy drinking/marijuana use, reasons for use, and past 12-month solitary alcohol or marijuana use among past 12-month users. Historical trends and possible differences related to the COVID-19 pandemic also were examined.Results: Solitary use prevalence increased from 2015 to 2021 with no evidence of significant COVID-19 deviations. In 2021, solitary alcohol use was reported by 32.1% (SE 3.01) and solitary marijuana use by 55.8% (4.72) of those reporting past 12-month use. Common and substance-specific sociodemographic risk factors were observed. Binge drinking was associated with solitary alcohol use; frequent marijuana use was associated with solitary marijuana use. Reasons for use related to coping with negative affect were associated with solitary use. Compulsive use reasons were more strongly associated with solitary alcohol than marijuana use. Drinking to have a good time with friends was negatively associated with solitary alcohol use but this association was not seen for solitary marijuana use.Conclusions: The percentage of adolescents who use alcohol or marijuana when they were alone has increased among those who report using each substance. Associations between solitary use and (a) higher levels of consumption and (b) coping with negative affect highlight the importance of solitary use as a risk indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between student substance use and school-level parental involvement as reported by administrators. Questionnaires were administered to school administrators and 111,652 students in 1,011 U.S. schools. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses conducted on 1998–2003 data from students and administrators indicate significantly lower prevalence of alcohol use among eighth-graders in schools where administrators reported high parental involvement. Overall, administrators’ reports of high parental involvement were unrelated to prevalence of substance use among tenth-graders and were associated with higher prevalence of alcohol use among twelfth-graders. Implications and limitations are discussed, along with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article examines noncausal associations between high school seniors' alcohol and marijuana use status and rates of self-reported unsafe driving in the past 12 months. Method: Analyses used data from 72,053 students collected through annual surveys of nationally representative cross-sectional samples of U.S. 12th-grade students from 1976 to 2011. Two aspects of past-12-month alcohol and marijuana use were examined: (a) use frequency and (b) status as a non-user, single substance user, concurrent user, or simultaneous user. Measures of past-12-month unsafe driving included any tickets/warnings or accidents, as well as tickets/warnings or accidents following alcohol or marijuana use. Analyses explored whether an individual's substance use frequency and simultaneous use status had differential associations with their rate of unsafe driving. Results: Higher substance use frequency (primarily alcohol use frequency) was significantly and positively associated with unsafe driving. The rate of engaging in any unsafe driving was also significantly and positively associated with simultaneous use status, with the highest rate associated with simultaneous use, followed by concurrent use, followed by use of alcohol alone. Individuals who reported simultaneous use most or every time they used marijuana had the highest likelihood of reporting unsafe driving following either alcohol or marijuana use. Conclusions: This article expands the knowledge on individual risk factors associated with unsafe driving among teens. Efforts to educate U.S. high school students (especially substance users), parents, and individuals involved in prevention programming and driver's education about the increased risks associated with various forms of drug use status may be useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article reviews changes in drinking patterns in the general U.S. population since the first appearance of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol in June 1940. Method: Contents of the three iterations of the journal (Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, and Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs) were reviewed along with additional prominent key articles on the subject known to the author. Results: Early articles in the field tended to focus on alcoholics and alcoholism, usually with a biological emphasis. The earliest "scientific investigation" of drinking patterns that appeared in iterations of JSAD reported data based on a survey in 1946, and the earliest report of trends in drinking patterns compared the 1946 data with data from 1963. Since then, there have been numerous evaluations of drinking patterns in the general U.S. population. Conclusions: There have been major changes over the past 75 years in the manner in which drinking patterns are measured and summarized. Perhaps the biggest change was the introduction of probability sampling. Additional major changes continue to occur, responding to technological changes (e.g., the use of computers, cell phones, and broadband connections) in how people interact with their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use raises significant concern due to the potential for additive or interactive psychopharmacological effects. However, no nationally representative studies are available that document prevalence, trends, or related factors in US youth SAM use.Methods: Nationally representative cross-sectional samples of 12th grade students surveyed in the Monitoring the Future project from 1976 to 2011 provided data on SAM use. Analyses were conducted in 2012.Results: In 2011, 23% of all U.S. high school seniors reported any SAM use. Among seniors reporting any past 12-month marijuana use, 62% reported any SAM use and 13% reported SAM use most or every time they used marijuana. SAM use consistently followed trends for past 30-day alcohol use over time. SAM use showed significant variation by psychosocial and demographic characteristics and was strongly associated with higher substance use levels, but occurred across the substance use spectrum. Certain reasons for alcohol or marijuana use (to increase effects of another drug; I'm hooked) and situations of alcohol or marijuana use (park/beach, car, party) were strongly associated with SAM use.Conclusions: A sizable proportion of US high school seniors reported SAM use, and it appeared to occur frequently in social use situations that could impact both the public as well as youth drug users. SAM use appears to be a complex behavior that is incidental to general substance use patterns as well as associated with (a) specific simultaneous reasons (or expectancies), and (b) heavy substance use and perceived dependence, especially on alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use raises significant concern due to the potential for additive or interactive psychopharmacological effects. However, no nationally representative studies are available that document prevalence, trends, or related factors in US youth SAM use. Methods: Nationally representative cross-sectional samples of 12th grade students surveyed in the Monitoring the Future project from 1976 to 2011 provided data on SAM use. Analyses were conducted in 2012. Results: In 2011, 23% of all US high school seniors reported any SAM use. Among seniors reporting any past 12-month marijuana use, 62% reported any SAM use and 13% reported SAM use most or every time they used marijuana. SAM use consistently followed trends for past 30-day alcohol use over time. SAM use showed significant variation by psychosocial and demographic characteristics and was strongly associated with higher substance use levels, but occurred across the substance use spectrum. Certain reasons for alcohol or marijuana use (to increase effects of another drug; I’m hooked) and situations of alcohol or marijuana use (park/beach, car, party) were strongly associated with SAM use. Conclusions: A sizable proportion of US high school seniors reported SAM use, and it appeared to occur frequently in social use situations that could impact both the public as well as youth drug users. SAM use appears to be a complex behavior that is incidental to general substance use patterns as well as associated with (a) specific simultaneous reasons (or expectancies), and (b) heavy substance use and perceived dependence, especially on alcohol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives. We examined prevalence, trends, and correlates of driving or riding after use of drugs or alcohol among US high school seniors from 2001 to 2011. Methods. Data come from Monitoring the Future, an annual survey of nationally representative samples of high school seniors. We used logistic regressions with data from more than 22 000 respondents to examine multivariate associations with demographic and lifestyle factors. Results. Large numbers of US high school seniors put themselves and others at great risk of harm by driving after using marijuana or other illicit drugs or drinking alcohol or by riding in a vehicle whose driver had used marijuana, other illicit drugs, or alcohol. Driving after drinking has declined in recent years, but driving after use of marijuana has increased. A higher percentage of students reported driving after using marijuana than after having 5 or more alcoholic drinks. Risky driving and riding behaviors differed little between demographic subgroups but considerably according to lifestyle factors. Conclusions. Stronger efforts are needed to combat adolescent driving under the influence of illicit drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) such as soft drinks has been associated with significantly increased energy intake and body weight. One strategy used to reduce soft drink consumption among adolescents has been reducing availability in schools; however, research is limited on associations between availability of soft drinks in school and student consumption. Purpose: This study examines associations between regular and diet soft drink availability in schools and student consumption using data from 329 secondary schools and 9284 students. Methods: Data were obtained from two sources: (1) nationally representative cross-sectional samples of students in Grades 8, 10, and 12 from U.S. public and private schools in 2010 and 2011 in the Monitoring the Future study and (2) administrators of the same schools in the Youth, Education, and Society study. Multilevel modeling conducted in 2012 examined associations between school availability and student consumption controlling for student sociodemographics and school characteristics. Results: In the total sample of more than 9000 students, regular and diet soft drink availability in school was not related to student consumption of these beverages in multivariate models. Yet, among African-American high school students, school regular and diet soft drink availability was significantly related to higher daily consumption (both before and after controlling for student and school factors). Conclusions: Although removal of soft drinks from schools may not result in significantly lower overall student consumption, such actions may result in significant decreases in soft drink consumption for specific student groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: This study explores sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) availability in US secondary school competitive venues during the first 3 years following the school wellness policy requirement (2007-2009). Furthermore, analyses examine associations with school policy and SSB availability. METHODS: Analyses use questionnaire data from 757 middle and 762 high schools in the nationally representative Youth, Education, and Society study to examine soda and non-soda SSB availability associations with school policy including (1) beverage bottling contracts and related incentives, (2) individuals/organizations responsible for decisions regarding beverages available in vending machines, and (3) school wellness policies and nutrition guidelines. RESULTS: Non-soda SSBs made up the majority of SSBs in both middle and high schools. Soda was especially likely to be found in vending machines; non-soda SSBs were widely available across competitive venues. Access to soda decreased significantly over time; however, non-soda SSB access did not show a similar decrease. School policy allowing beverage supplier contractual involvement (bottling contract incentives and beverage supplier 'say' in vending machine beverage choices) was related to increased SSB access. However, the existence of developed nutritional guidelines was associated with lower SSB availability. CONCLUSIONS: Students had high access to SSBs across competitive school venues, with non-soda SSBs making up the majority of SSB beverage options. Efforts to reduce access to SSBs in US secondary schools should include a focus on reducing both soda and non-soda SSBs, reducing beverage supplier involvement in school beverage choices, and encouraging the development of targeted nutritional guidelines for all competitive venues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims  This study examined the extent to which the trajectory of participation in sports, athletics or exercising (PSAE) covaried with substance use in early adulthood controlling for team sports participation using parallel process latent growth curve modeling. Design, setting and participants  Analysis of data collected from a series of panel studies using a cohort‐sequential design. Specifically, the analyses used longitudinal data from 11 741 individuals from the graduating classes of 1986–2001, first surveyed as seniors in American high schools. Up to four additional follow‐up surveys were administered to age 26 years. Data were collected using in‐school and mailed self‐administered questionnaires. Measurements  Level of PSAE, past‐30‐day alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use frequency and any past‐30‐day use of illicit drugs other than marijuana (IOTM) were the main processes of interest. Self‐reported race/ethnicity, college status at age 19/20 years, parental education, gender and team sports participation during high school were included as covariates. Findings  Results indicate that higher initial levels of PSAE related to lower initial substance use prevalence rates other than alcohol, and lower initial prevalence rates of substance use then corresponded with lower substance use rates throughout early adulthood. Further, as individuals increased PSAE levels throughout early adulthood, the frequency of their use of cigarettes, marijuana and IOTM correspondingly decreased. Conclusions  Increased participation in sports, athletics or exercising (PSAE) is related to significantly lower substance use frequency at modal age 18 and through significantly and negatively correlated growth trajectories through early adulthood. Encouraging PSAE among adolescents and early adults may relate to lower substance use levels throughout early adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The National Institute on Drug Abuse has called for increased research into the use of physical activity in substance abuse prevention, specifically research into physical activity type and context. Purpose: This paper examines the relationships between (1) secondary school student substance use and (2) exercise in general and school athletic team participation, and examines such relationships over time. Methods: Nationally representative cross-sectional samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students were surveyed each year from 1991 to 2009. Substance use measures included past 2-week binge drinking and past 30-day alcohol, cigarette, smokeless tobacco, marijuana, and steroid use. Analyses were conducted during 2009–2010. Results: Across grades, higher levels of exercise were associated with lower levels of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Higher levels of athletic team participation were associated with higher levels of smokeless tobacco use and lower levels of cigarette and marijuana use across grades and to higher levels of high school alcohol and steroid use. Exercise helped suppress the undesired relationship between team participation and alcohol use; exercise and athletic team participation worked synergistically in lowering cigarette and marijuana use. Observed relationships were generally stable across time. Conclusions: There appear to be substantive differences between exercise and team sport participation in relation to adolescent substance use. These findings from cross-sectional data suggest that interventions to improve levels of general physical activity should be evaluated to determine if they help delay or reduce substance use among youth in general as well as among student athletes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Secondary school students' rates of substance use vary significantly by race/ethnicity and by their parents' level of education (a proxy for socioeconomic status). The relationship between students' substance use and race/ethnicity is, however, potentially confounded because parental education also differs substantially by race/ethnicity. This report disentangles the confounding by examining White, African American, and Hispanic students separately, showing how parental education relates to cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, and illicit drug use. Method: Data are from the 1999-2008 Monitoring the Future nationally representative in-school surveys of more than 360,000 students in Grades 8, 10, and 12. Results: (a) High proportions of Hispanic students have parents with the lowest level of education, and the relatively low levels of substance use by these students complicates total sample data linking parental education and substance use. (b) There are clear interactions: Compared with White students, substance use rates among African American and Hispanic students are less strongly linked with parental education (and are lower overall). (c) Among White students, 8th and 10th graders show strong negative relations between parental education and substance use, whereas by 12th grade their heavy drinking and marijuana use are not correlated with parental education. Conclusions: Low parental education appears to be much more of a risk factor for White students than for Hispanic or African American students. Therefore, in studies of substance use epidemiology, findings based on predominantly White samples are not equally applicable to other racial/ethnic subgroups. Conversely, the large proportions of minority students in the lowest parental education category can mask or weaken findings that are clearer among White students alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health consequences of obesity and overweight have been well documented, but less research has examined their social and economic consequences. This paper examines the long-term consequences of early adult overweight for midlife health and socioeconomic attainment using prospective nationally representative panel data from American adults in the Monitoring the Future Study (1986–2008). Growth mixture models identified 2 distinct latent classes of trajectories of body mass index (BMI) from age 19 to 35 years: a persistently overweight class (BMI >25 kg/m2) and a second class exhibiting more moderate growth in BMI to age 35 years. Women (odds ratio (OR) = 2.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39, 3.36) and those from a lower childhood socioeconomic position (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.24) were more likely to be in the persistently overweight class. Compared with those in the moderately increasing BMI class, those in the persistently overweight class were more likely to have a chronic health problem at age 40 years (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 2.20, 3.43), to have no further education beyond high school (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.69), and to have a higher odds of receiving welfare or unemployment compensation at age 40 years (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.49, 2.04). These findings highlight the importance of addressing persistent obesity and overweight early in the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives. We investigated temporal patterns from 1984 to 2006 in 6 weight-related health behaviors by using longitudinal data for multiple cohorts of young adults (aged 19-26 years) from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future Study. Methods. We used growth curve models to examine historical trends in 6 health behaviors: frequency of eating breakfast, eating green vegetables, eating fruit, exercising, watching television, and sleeping 7 hours each night. Variations across gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were investigated. Results. Frequency of exercising was consistently lower among young adult women than young adult men over this 23-year period. Compared with White women, Hispanic women, and women from other race/ethnic groups, Black women showed declines in the frequency of exercise since 1984. In general, young adult women showed a marked increase in the frequency of eating breakfast over this period, although Black women did not show any net gains. Conclusions. Social disparities in body weight may increase because Black women, Hispanic women, and men with lower socioeconomic status show declining trends in positive weight-related health behaviors compared with White young adults with higher socioeconomic status. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:1893-1901. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.141317) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Objective: This article aims to contribute to the literature by reporting on a nationally representative study of U.S. youths regarding their self-reported reasons for abstaining from or quitting marijuana use and the relationships between such reasons and individual sociodemographic characteristics of gender and race/ethnicity. Method: This article uses data from in-school surveys obtained from nationally representative cross-sectional samples of U.S. high school seniors from 1977 to 2005 (N= 82,106). Results: Results indicate the following: (1) 50% of those reporting past-12-month marijuana use felt they should either stop or reduce their use; (2) among those saying they would not use marijuana in the coming year, the most frequently reported reasons cited were psychological and physical damage and not wanting to get high (reported by more than 60%), whereas the least frequently reported reasons included expense, concerns of having a bad trip, and availability (reported by fewer than 25%); and (3) clear differences existed in reported reasons by gender and race/ethnicity. Conclusions: A significant percentage of U.S. high school seniors who are recent marijuana users wish to either reduce or stop their marijuana use and are basing such desires on a wide variety of reasons that show significant gender and racial/ethnic variation. Marijuana prevention and cessation policy and programming could potentially be strengthened by incorporating the findings from these analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines various aspects of school physical characteristics relating to problem behavior among students. We hypothesize that an attractive physical environment will be associated with less truancy, cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use, whereas a negative physical environment will be associated with higher levels of these behaviors. Analyses use data from nationally representative samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who participated in annual surveys conducted by the Monitoring the Future project from 2000 to 2003. Analyses also use data collected from principals and field interviewers of the same schools. Results based on multilevel logistic and linear regressions indicate that students are sensitive to schools' ambience and that the association of various aspects of the school's physical environment with students' problem behaviors is greater for 10th-grade students than for 8th-and 12th-grade students. The implications of these findings for school policies and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to report trends from 2001 to 2006 in the percentage of all high school seniors who drive after using marijuana, other illicit drugs, or alcohol or who are exposed as passengers to such behaviors. A second objective is to examine demographic and psychosocial correlates of these behaviors.Method: The data were obtained from the Monitoring the Future study, in which nationally representative samples of high school seniors have been surveyed annually since 1975.Results: In 2006, 30% of high school seniors reported exposure to a drugged or drinking driver in the past 2 weeks, down from 35% in 2001. Exposure was demonstrated to be widespread as defined by demographic characteristics (population density, region of the country, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and family structure). Individual lifestyle factors (religiosity, grade point average, truancy, frequency of evenings out for fun, and hours of work) showed considerable association with the outcome behaviors.Conclusions: Impaired driving by youth remains a problem needing serious attention despite some progress in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in middle and high school students' perceived ease, methods, and locations of access to cigarettes, and to assess differences related to their sociodemographic characteristics and smoking status.Methods: Annual data from nationally representative samples of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students were analyzed for the 1997-2002 period. Analyses were conducted in 2003.Results: Perceived ease of access decreased significantly among never and past smokers. Decreased individual purchasing in retail outlets, as well as decreased purchasing from vending machines, were reported by 8th- and 10th-grade students. All grades reported decreased purchasing from self-service placements of cigarettes. Decreases in access were not reported across all retailer types, and no significant increases were seen in the percent of underage purchasers who reported being asked to show identification. Both gender and ethnicity were significantly related to where and how underage youth reported obtaining cigarettes.Conclusions: Cigarette access for minors has been declining, but remains high. Findings show that (1) perceived access to cigarettes clearly increases with level of smoking, and (2) policies to reduce such access may be having an impact as evidenced by decreased retail and vending machine purchases and self-service purchases. However, states should continue to strengthen efforts to reduce youth cigarette access, especially in the areas of confirming buyer age via identification checks, and should make efforts to decrease access across all retailer types. Federal regulations like those previously implemented by the Food and Drug Administration might strongly assist in reducing youth access to cigarettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: This manuscript evaluates the effects of enactment of state laws that required safety belt use in various U.S. states between 1986 and 2000. Method: Safety belt use was assessed using nationally representative cross-sectional samples of high school seniors; evaluation of the effects of laws used data from over 2,000 high school seniors before and about 3,300 after the laws took effect in 20 states. Results: Belt use was found to increase significantly between 1986 and 2000, and the laws contributed significantly to that increase. Increases were similar for students differing by gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, grades, truancy, evenings out per week, miles driven per week, and an index of illicit drug use. Discussion: The data show that although the laws have increased belt use, use is not universal and continued efforts are needed. Impact on Research, Practice, and Policy: This study shows that many teenagers fail to use belts when there is a secondary use law; an implication is that primary laws would be more efficacious in increasing use among this vulnerable population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives. We examined the prevalence of substance use among American adults aged 35 years, and we considered adulthood predictors and the impact of adolescent substance use. Methods. National panel data were drawn from the Monitoring the Future study. Logistic regressions were conducted to assess the impact of demographics, life experiences, and adolescent substance use on smoking, heavy drinking, prescription drug misuse, marijuana use, and cocaine use at 35 years of age. Results. Factors related to increased likelihood of substance use include high school use, unemployment, and noncustodial parenthood. Lower use was associated with being female, a college graduate, a professional, married, or a custodial parent. Conclusions. Among those aged 35 years, substance use was still rather prevalent and was a function of adulthood roles, experiences, and previous use. (Am J Public Health. 2004;94:96-102) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study reports trends from 1976 to 2001 in the number of tickets or warnings that high school seniors receive, the number of vehicle accidents in which they are drivers and the number of these events that occur after use of alcohol, marijuana or other illegal drugs. Method: The data come from the Monitoring the Future study, in which nationally representative samples of high school seniors have been surveyed annually since 1976. Results: Results demonstrate that the problem of unsafe or inappropriate driving among American youth is of considerable magnitude, although there has been a downward trend when adjusted for number of miles driven. The frequency of tickets received and vehicle accidents that occurred after use of alcohol has diminished markedly compared to the incidence of tickets and accidents after use of marijuana over the interval from 1976 to 2001. Conclusions: Despite the decline in the number of vehicle accidents occurring and tickets received after drinking or using illicit drugs, aggressive policies am still needed to deter youths from engaging in such risky behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the extent of alcohol use and other drug use of college students in the U.S. Estimation of level of alcohol use; Rates of alcohol use; Increase in alcohol drinking after high school graduation.

This report uses data from a nationally representative longitudinal sample to examine the relationship of marijuana use by high school seniors to occupational attainment 10 years later. Analyses were conducted separately by gender, with and without controlling for other variables. Control variables, all measured when respondents were seniors, were: academic performance, educational aspirations, and occupational aspirations. Results indicate that the influence of marijuana use on occupational attainment is considerably different for males and females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions. Significant beneficial effects of lowered youth BAC limits have appeared despite limited publicity and enforcement of the new laws. (Am J Public Health. 2001 ;91:801-804) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comparison of reporting of drug use and related attitudes and beliefs by national samples of eighth and tenth grade students under two different modes of administration conditions: confidential and anonymous. The results show that there were clearly no differences between the conditions in tenth graders' reports of drug use and related attitudes and beliefs. With eighth graders, the results show, at most, only a very modest mode of administration effect and quite possibly no effect at all. The results are reassuring to researchers who conduct surveys of drug use and related attitudes and beliefs among secondary school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study identified high school seniors at low, moderate, and high risk for cigarette use to examine changes in the prevalence of daily smoking within risk groups from 1976 to 1995. Methods. Data were taken from the Monitoring the Future Project's national surveys of high school seniors. Risk classification was based on grade- point average, truancy, nights out per week, and religious commitment. Logistic regression models were used to estimate trends for all seniors and separately for White (n = 244 221), African American (n = 41 005), and Hispanic (n = 18 457) male and female subgroups. Results. Risk group distribution (low=45%, moderate = 30%, high = 25%) changed little over time. Between 1976 and 1990, greater absolute declines in smoking occurred among high-risk students (17 percentage points) than among low-risk students (6 percentage points). Particularly large declines occurred among high-risk African Americans and Hispanics. Smoking increased in all risk groups in the 1990s. conclusions. Among high school seniors, a large part of the overall change in smoking occurred among high-risk youth. Policies and programs to reduce smoking among youth must have broad appeal, especially to those at the higher end of the risk spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This article reports the prevalence of, and trends in, driving after drinking and riding in a car with a driver who has been drinking among American high school seniors, based on data from more than a decade (1984-1997) of annual national surveys. Methods. Logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of demographic factors (gender, region of country, population density, parental education, and race/ethnicity) and selected "lifestyle" factors (religious commitment, high school grades, truancy, illicit drug use, evenings out per week, and miles driven per week). Results. Rates of adolescent driving after drinking and riding with a driver who had been drinking declined significantly from the mid-1980s to the early or mid-1990s, but the declines have not continued in recent years. Rates of driving or riding after drinking were higher among high school seniors who are male, White, living in the western and northeastern regions of the United States, and living in rural areas. Truancy, number of evenings out, and illicit drug use all related significantly positively with the dependent variables, whereas grade point average and religious commitment had a negative relationship. Miles driven per week related positively to driving after drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the attitude-behavior literature, considerable disagreement exists as to when groups and institutions will influence attitudes, when they will influence behavior independently of attitudes, and when they will influence behavior by interacting with attitudes. By drawing on research on the bases of power, this paper attempts to specify the conditions that create each type of effect. Traditional classifications of the bases of power, however, cannot explain interactions. Attitude-behavior research suggests that interactions result from facilitation power. Facilitation power in part consists of the ability to influence behavior by providing social cooperation or fry altering environmental circumstances. National survey data are used to examine how the bases of power available to schools, religious institutions, and peers influence drug use. The results generally support the hypotheses relating types of power to types of effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Period. age, and cohort effects on substance use are differentiated for American youth 18 to 24 years old during the period from 1976 to 1992. The data are provided by the Monitoring the Future project, an ongoing study which employs a cohort-sequential design. Weighted least squares regression is used to find plausible and parsimonious models to account for the observed variation in 12 different classes of drugs, both licit and illicit. The point is made that there are no definitive ways to differentiate among the types of effects: thus, any interpretation is open to debate. Period effects involving increased use occurred for cocaine. amphetamines, and methaqualone, while decreases occurred for barbiturates, tranquilizers, and psychedelics other than LSD. Marijuana showed a curvilinear period effect, first increasing then decreasing. Effects of age were more complex. There were increases in the year after high school for daily cigarette use, but not for monthly use. Monthly and daily alcohol use increased with age. A measure of heavy drinking showed a curvilinear trend, first increasing and then decreasing. Annual use of cocaine showed an increase between the ages of 18 and 21. Annual use of narcotics other than heroin showed a linear age decrease. Clear class (or cohort) effects appeared for cigarette use, with each successive class smoking less. (Am J Public Health 1984: 74:682-688.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the extent and nature of alcohol use among adolescents in the United States. Association between alcohol use and drug use; Problems caused by adolescent alcohol use; Reasons for adolescent alcohol use; Trends in alcohol-related behaviors.

Looks at a study that tries to locate the different trajectories of binge drinking during development into adulthood. How trajectories are validated; Method of study using four waves of national panel data; Where the data was obtained from; Results and statistical data to support findings; Literary references for study and research.

Background: This study examines the extent to which the developmental pattern of frequent marijuana use prevalence from ages 18 to 30 (overall and by gender) has varied across historical time (cohort groups) using data from a national sample of US young adults.Methods: Self-reported data on frequent marijuana use (use on 20+ occasions in the past 30 days) from modal ages 18 to 30 were obtained from 58,059 individuals from 29 sequential cohorts (graduating high school classes of 1976-2004) participating in the Monitoring the Future study. Time-varying effect modeling was used to model cohort group differences in developmental patterns of frequent use overall and by gender.Results: Developmental patterns of frequent marijuana use prevalence varied meaningfully across cohort groups. Frequent use at age 18 differed significantly across cohort groups as expected based on national data. Among earlier cohort groups (reaching age 30 during 1987-2008), developmental patterns converged by age 30 to relatively low frequent marijuana use prevalence. In contrast, among cohort groups reaching age 30 during 2008-2016, frequent marijuana use at age 30 was significantly higher than all previous cohort groups. Observed cohort differences did not vary significantly by gender.Conclusions: Cross-cohort convergence in developmental patterns of frequent marijuana use prevalence by age 30 was not observed among recent cohort groups, among whom age 30 frequent marijuana use prevalence was at the highest levels observed since the study began. Higher frequent marijuana use prevalence in late young adulthood has meaningful health risk and service provision implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More United States adolescents now report high-frequency marijuana use than similar use levels of alcohol or tobacco. Increased high-frequency use raises questions such as (a) is frequent use likelihood growing among adolescents who experiment with use? (b) Is such change observed equally across sex and racial/ethnic subgroups? (c) Have sociodemographic and other covariate associations with frequent use changed over time?Methods: Data were obtained from 649,505 12th grade students participating in the cross-sectional, nationally-representative Monitoring the Future study from 1976 to 2019. Historical trends were modeled for any and frequent (20+ occasions) past 30-day marijuana use among all students and lifetime users, and lifetime user sex and racial/ethnic subgroups. Multivariable logistic regression estimates from 1989 to 1993 (lowest prevalence years) versus 2015-2019 (most recent years) were compared to examine covariate association changes with frequent use.Results: Among all students, recent linear trends in any and frequent marijuana use were not significantly different from zero (0.023 [SE 0.156] and 0.036 [0.073], respectively); frequent use among lifetime users increased (0.233 [0.107], p = 0.048). Among lifetime users, the increase was stronger for male than female students, and for minority versus White students. Significant association changes with race/ethnicity, parental education, and perceived risk were observed.Conclusions: The proportion of adolescent lifetime marijuana users reporting current frequent marijuana use increased, and is now at near-record levels. Increases were particularly strong among males and minority students. There appears to be an increasing likelihood that adolescents who experiment with marijuana use may progress to frequent use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses trends in the percentage of adolescents with an unsuccessful cigarette quit attempt and compares quit attempts of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health problems and mental health related mortality have increased among adolescents, particularly girls. These trends have implications for etiology and prevention and suggest new and emerging risk factors in need of attention. The present study estimated age, period, and cohort effects in depressive symptoms among US nationally representative samples of school attending adolescents from 1991 to 2018.Methods: Data are drawn from 1991 to 2018 Monitoring the Future yearly cross-sectional surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students (N = 1,260,159). Depressive symptoms measured with four questions that had consistent wording and data collection procedures across all 28 years. Age-period-cohort effects estimated using the hierarchical age-period-cohort models.Results: Among girls, depressive symptoms decreased from 1991 to 2011, then reversed course, peaking in 2018; these increases reflected primarily period effects, which compared to the mean of all periods showed a gradual increase starting in 2012 and peaked in 2018 (estimate = 1.15, p < 0.01). Cohort effects were minimal, indicating that increases are observed across all age groups. Among boys, trends were similar although the extent of the increase is less marked compared to girls; there was a declining cohort effect among recently born cohorts, suggesting that increases in depressive symptoms among boys are slower for younger boys compared to older boys in recent years. Trends were generally similar by race/ethnicity and parental education, with a positive cohort effect for Hispanic girls born 1999-2004.Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are increasing among teens, especially among girls, consistent with increases in depression and suicide. Population variation in psychiatric disorder symptoms highlight the importance of current environmental determinants of psychiatric disorder risk, and provide evidence of emerging risk factors that may be shaping a new and concerning trend in adolescent mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: In the last decade the relatively lower levels of marijuana use for black relative to non-black high school seniors has grown smaller and disappeared, drawing to a close a unique disparity that actually favored a disadvantaged group for at least thirty years. In this study we test trends in cigarette smoking and religiosity as possible explanations for this closing disparity. The study also examines whether increasing marijuana levels for black adolescents is better characterized as a cohort effect or an historical period effect.Design: Analyses use relative risk regression and focus on data from yearly, cross-sectional surveys from the time period 2008-2017.Setting and Participants: Data comes from the nationally-representative Monitoring the Future survey, which conducts in-school surveys of secondary school students. The analysis uses data from 114,552 high school seniors (in 12th grade), 123,594 in 10th grade, and 136,741 in 8th grade.Findings: Past 12-month marijuana prevalence significantly increased for black as compared to non-black adolescents from 2008 to 2017 in 12th grade, 10th grade, and 8th grade. The increase attenuated by more than half and was not statistically significant after adjusting for cigarette smoking. In contrast, the increase was little changed after adjusting adolescent levels of religiosity. The increase is better characterized as a cohort effect than a period effect.Conclusions: These results support the increase in marijuana use for black relative to non-black adolescents as an unexpected consequence of the great decline in adolescent cigarette smoking, which has occurred slower for black adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol and marijuana are the most commonly used substances among adolescents but little is known about patterns of co-use.Objectives: This study examined patterns of concurrent (not overlapping) and simultaneous (overlapping) use of alcohol and marijuana among adolescents.Methods: Data from US-national samples of 12th graders (N = 84,805, 48.4% female) who participated in the Monitoring the Future study from 1976 to 2016 and who used alcohol and/or marijuana in the past 12 months were used to identify latent classes of alcohol use, marijuana use, and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use.Results: A four-class solution indicated four patterns of use among adolescents: (1) Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use with binge drinking and recent marijuana use (SAM-Heavier Use; 11.2%); (2) SAM use without binge drinking and with recent marijuana use (SAM-Lighter Use; 21.6%); (3) Marijuana use and alcohol use but no SAM use (Concurrent Use; 10.7%); and (4) Alcohol use but no marijuana or SAM use (Alcohol-Only Use; 56.4%). Membership in either SAM use class was associated with a higher likelihood of truancy, evenings out, and use of illicit drugs other than marijuana. SAM-Heavier Use, compared to SAM-Lighter Use, class members were more likely to report these behaviors and be male, and less likely to have college plans.Conclusions: Among 12th graders who use both alcohol and marijuana, the majority use simultaneously, although not all use heavily. Given the recognized increased public health risks associated with simultaneous use, adolescent prevention programming should include focus on particular risks of simultaneous use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]