United Way of Central Ohio helped fund the Educational Council's Primary Prevention Awareness Attitude and Use Survey (PPAAUS), to learn more about key issues affecting our youth, and how our community can address them.
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(Columbus) — The Educational Council today unveiled the results of the eighth triennial Primary Prevention Awareness Attitude and Use Survey (PPAAUS). Alcohol use is down among 10th and 12th graders, up 1% among 8th graders. Eight percent of 8th graders, 21% of 10th graders and 37% of 12th graders report having used alcohol.
“New research on alcohol consumption by adolescents confirms its negative physical impacts on brain development and therefore on the health and well-being of our youth,” said Educational Council CEO Bob Bowers. “Alcohol consumption at an early age also makes youth more susceptible to binge drinking, other risky behaviors like unsafe sex, accidental injury, homicide and suicide.”
Tobacco use also is down among 10th and 12th graders, and stable among 8th graders; and marijuana use is stable among 8th graders and up slightly among 10th and 12th graders.
“The good news about the declines in the 2009 PPAAUS are a direct result of the comprehensive, community-wide prevention programming in Franklin County over the past two decades, including the Ed Council’s High School Saturday Family Workshop that intervenes with at-risk high school students; the HABIT anti-tobacco program; and the TIP-T truancy program, “ said Bowers.
“However, these programs are in peril due to a loss of funding. Due to the recession, public and private sector dollars are being moved to provide support and services for families in crisis. We hope that as the economy improves, funding will too.”
In addition to analyzing youths’ drug and alcohol use, the survey also included questions about school climate, which significantly impacts students’ ability to learn. Problem behaviors among students include bullying, lack of peer respect and cheating.
The survey results found that among 8th, 10th and 12th graders:
- Between 43-55% have cheated on tests
- Between 59-63% feel students do not respect each other at school
- Between 51-62% have had rumors spread about them, and tied to that – between 73-86% listened to the rumors or did nothing about it
- Between 37-62% have been verbally or physically bullied, and tied to that – about half did nothing or watched the bullying
The study also looked at issues related to alcohol use — binge drinking, drinking and driving, and riding with an impaired driver. The survey found:
- Between 37% and 68% of youth have ridden in a car with an impaired driver who had consumed alcohol or smoked pot
- 11% of 10th graders and 23% of 12th graders have drank alcohol and driven
- 14% of 10th graders and 23% of 12th graders have smoked pot and driven
- Between a third and half of 10th and 12th graders have been designated drivers
- Among 12th graders, 25% binge drink up to 5 days a month and another 7% binge drink between 6-19 days a month.
As supported by other research, parents play a significant role in impacting their children’s behavior. Between 57-74% of students report their parents say it is not OK to use drugs; and 57-75% are influenced by their family’s values to not use drugs.
“Since 1997, the use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana by Franklin County students has shown huge declines. Between 2006 and 2009 these trends have leveled off with some positive and some negative trends. The major danger at this point is that the community rests on its laurels and decreases the activities that are known to have a positive effect on the development of healthy life styles for teenagers. Parental involvement, a positive school climate, and a community that supports healthy alternatives to drug and alcohol use are all needed to continue this trend toward healthier life styles for young adults,” said Dr. Paul Weener, Chairman of the Board for IntelliQ Research and former CEO of Diagnostics Plus, the firm analyzing the data.
More than 32,000 youth in all 16 Franklin County public school districts and 28 non-public schools participated in the survey. A “quality response” filter excluded inappropriate responses – 3.5% or 1,141 surveys were not included in the final results.
The Educational Council’s Safe & Drug Free Schools Consortium conducted the survey. Its purpose is to help guide school prevention and intervention programs and to assess the effectiveness of these programs.
Survey funders include United Way of Central Ohio, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and the Educational Council’s Safe & Drug Free School Consortium. Diagnostics Plus, a division in INtelliQ Research, Inc., in State College, PA, analyzed and scored the survey. John Swisher, Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University designed it.
The full 2009 PPAAUS report, executive summary and survey questionnaire are online at www.edcouncil.org, click on the PPAAUS link under Safe & Drug Free Schools Consortium on the right side of the page.
The Educational Council (www.edcouncil.org) is a partnership of the 16 Franklin County school districts. Its mission is to design innovative solutions for Educational Environments and their communities. It plays a vital role in helping districts personalize educational success by widening and deepening learning environments and experiences that nurture creativity, innovation, global competence and wellness through strengthening programming, providing resources and training staff on skills that touch all academic and non-academic barriers to each student's success. The Safe & Drug Free Schools Consortium is one its programs.
Founded in 1923, United Way of Central Ohio is working to advance the common good by focusing on the building blocks of a better life: a quality education that leads to a productive career, enough income to support a family through retirement, good health, and a safe place to live. Together, we can achieve real, lasting improvements in our community. For more information, visit www.liveunitedcentralohio.org.
