Document text
Local high school juniors out drink state average By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The proportion of Oregon high school juniors who say they drink alcohol is higher in Jackson County than statewide, a survey released Monday shows, while use among local eighth-graders appears to be lower. Of more than 500 Jackson County 11th-graders who participated in the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey during the 2000-2001 school year, nearly half - 48 percent - said they drank alcohol during the previous month. That's 5 percent higher than the state rate of 43 percent. Among nearly 700 local eighth-graders who participated, about 23 percent said they drank during the previous 30 days, compared to a state rate of nearly 25 percent. The survey targeted more than 18,000 eighth- and 11th-graders in 220 Oregon schools, including more than 1,200 students in nine Jackson County schools. The state figures for alcohol use have remained essentially the same for the past five years, even as tobacco use among youth has declined dramatically, according to the state Department of Human Services. "At least it's not going up," said Stephanie Soares Pump, executive director of Southern Oregon Drug Awareness, a Medford drug prevention agency. By contrast, the state reported last month that the percentage of eighth-graders who smoke has fallen 44 percent since 1996 and dropped 30 percent among 11th-graders in the same period. Pump said higher rates of alcohol use among local 11th-graders is worrisome. "All we can do is speculate," she said. "Nationally, rural areas are playing catch-up with urban areas in terms of alcohol use." Particularly disturbing are figures that show more than a quarter of 11th-graders binge-drink. More than 26 percent of local high school juniors said they had five or more drinks in a row, compared to about 25 percent of 11th-graders in the state. Among eighth-graders, binge drinking was limited to 8 percent locally and just over 9 percent statewide. Part of the problem may be a relaxed attitude toward alcohol use among older teens, Soares Pump said. "There's this rite-of-passage attitude toward alcohol," she said. "Adults need to say out loud to kids: 'I expect you not to use.'" Her views were echoed by Hank Collins, county health director, who said the work of SODA and other groups to change community attitudes toward drinking is vital. "I have friends who let their 16- and 17-year-olds drink at home, they'll let their 18- and 19-year-olds drink as long as it's at home," Collins said. Research shows that alleviating the problem depends on providing alternative activities for young people, Collins said. Mentoring programs, for example, in which adult community members spend time with at-risk youngsters, have been shown to decrease alcohol and other substance use, he said. The Jackson County Commission on Children and Families' most recent annual report cites development of local mentoring programs as a priority for reducing teen tobacco, alcohol and other drug use. "We need to encourage more and more adults to give something back to their communities," Collins said. Other findings from the survey included the following: Twenty-eight percent of Jackson County 11th-graders said they had consumed alcohol in the previous week, compared to a state rate of more than 25 percent. Among eighth-graders, just over 12 percent of local kids said they drank during the previous week, compared to 14 percent in the state. Nearly 4 percent of local 11th-graders said they drank alcohol on school property during the previous month, slightly higher than the state rate. Among eighth-graders, less than half of 1 percent of local kids reported drinking at school, compared to more than 2 percent in the state overall. How valid are surveys of middle and high school students? Pretty valid, said Pam McVay, a program analyst with the state mental health and addiction services department. Organizers include fail-safe questions in the surveys and eliminate any questionable responses, she said. "They feel that a paper-and-pencil survey is an accurate indicator," McVay said. "Students tend to be very truthful; if anything, they under-report." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.