Citation

Delva J, Wallace JM, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG, Johnston LD, Schulenberg JE. Am. J. Public Health 2005; 95(4): 696-702.

Affiliation

Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Room 2344, PO Box 1248, 426 Thompson St, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA. jdelva@umich.edu

Comment In:

Am J Public Health. 2005 Sep;95(9):1494; author reply 1494-5

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2003.037051

PMID

15798132

PMCID

PMC1449243

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We compared trends in and correlates of marijuana use, cocaine use, and heavy alcohol use for adolescents of Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Latin American heritage in the United States. METHODS: We used/examined data from nationally representative samples of eighth-grade Hispanic students who participated in the Monitoring the Future study during the years 1991-2002 (n=24235). RESULTS: Drug use was significantly higher among boys and adolescents of almost all Hispanic ethnicities who did not live with both parents. In addition, drug use differed considerably according to ethnic group on language first spoken, parental education, urbanicity, and region. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of drug use patterns within and between Hispanic groups should assist in the development of prevention programs.

Language: en