Trends and Substance Use Associations With E-Cigarette Use in US Adolescents.

Concerns exist that e-cigarette use may introduce adolescents to drugs. This study explores trends and associations of inhaled tobacco use with drug use. We performed a secondary data analysis on the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey examining the inhaled tobacco and drug use patterns among US teens. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using bivariate and multivariate analyses between inhaled tobacco use with other drug use, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and gender. When adjusting for gender, age, and race/ethnicity, teens who use only e-cigarettes had a higher odds than peers who do not use any inhaled tobacco products to have ever tried marijuana or alcohol, currently use marijuana or alcohol, have lifetime drug use, and misused prescription medications. Drug risk behavior appears stratified with type of inhaled tobacco used, with generally exclusive e-cigarette use linked to lowest risk and conventional and e-cigarette use associated with highest risk of drug use.

Prescription Drug Misuse and Associated Risk Behaviors among Public High School Students in Oklahoma: Data from the 2013 Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the magnitude of prescription drug misuse among Oklahoma high school students, examine associated risk factors, and inform state-based prevention strategies. METHODS: Data from the 2013 Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used for this analysis and were representative of public school students in grades 9 through 12 in Oklahoma. Variables were examined using percentages and 95% confidence intervals. The chi-square test was used to test for differences in proportions. Logistic regression was used to produce adjusted odds ratios as measures of association between selected independent variables and prescription drug misuse. RESULTS: Nearly one in five students had ever used a prescription drug without a doctor's prescription. While there was no statistically significant difference of prescription drug misuse by gender or grade in the bivariate analysis, after covariate adjustment, females were 1.5 times more likely than males to have misused prescription drugs and twelfth graders were 1.7 times more likely than ninth graders to have misused prescription drugs. CONCLUSION: Students who had ever taken prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription were significantly more likely than students who had never taken prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription to have engaged in current tobacco use, current binge drinking, current marijuana use, and lifetime drug use and have a higher prevalence of suicide risk.

Suicide risk factors among victims of bullying and other forms of violence: data from the 2009 and 2011 Oklahma Youth Risk Behavior Surveys.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exposure to bullying and other forms of violence and suicide risk among public high school students in Oklahoma. METHODS: Data from the 2009 and 2011 Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were used for this analysis and were representative of public school students in grades 9-12 in Oklahoma. RESULTS: Students who were bullied, threatened or injured by someone with a weapon, physically hurt by their partner, or had ever been forced to have sex, were twice as likely as students who had not experienced victimization to have experienced persistent sadness, considered attempting suicide, made a plan to attempt suicide, and attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that being a victim of bullying or other forms of violence significantly increases the likelihood for experiencing signs and symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, suicidal plans, or suicidal attempts.