Inhalant use initiation among U.S. adolescents: evidence from the National Survey of Parents and Youth using discrete-time survival analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors associated with initiation to inhalant use among adolescents aged 9 to 18. The data are from the National Survey of Parents and Youth, a longitudinal household survey. Baseline surveys for adolescents and parents were conducted between November 1999 and June 2001 and then annually for three subsequent rounds. The outcome measure is an indicator of a respondent's first use of inhalants. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to model the hazard of initiation. The hazard of inhalant initiation peaks at about 14 years of age (slightly younger than smoking and marijuana initiation). African Americans were less likely than Whites to initiate inhalant use, and higher family income was protective against inhalant initiation. The findings suggest that parenting is associated with initiation of inhalant use: parental drug use was a risk factor for inhalant initiation, and a measure of parental monitoring was protective. The study results also suggest a strong relationship between inhalant use and other problem behaviors and sensation seeking. These results highlight the need to intervene early for youth at risk of or just beginning to engage in risky behaviors including inhalant use.

Are methamphetamine precursor control laws effective tools to fight the methamphetamine epidemic?

One of the most notable trends in illegal substance use among Americans over the past decade is the dramatic growth and spread of methamphetamine use. In response to the dramatic rise in methamphetamine use and its associated burden, a broad range of legislations has been passed to combat the problem. In this paper, we assess the impact of retail-level laws intended to restrict chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine (methamphetamine precursor laws) in reducing indicators of domestic production, methamphetamine availability, and the consequences of methamphetamine use. Specifically, we examine trends in these indicators of methamphetamine supply and use over a period spanning the implementation of the federal Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act (MAPA) (October 2000) and a more stringent state-level restriction enacted in California (January 2000). The results are mixed in terms of the effectiveness of legislative efforts to control methamphetamine production and use, depending on the strength of the legislation (California Uniform Controlled Substances Act versus federal MAPA), the specification of the comparison group, and the particular outcome of interest. Some evidence suggests that domestic production was impacted by these legislative efforts, but there is also evidence that prices fell, purities rose, and treatment episodes increased.

Coverage and framing of racial and ethnic health disparities in US newspapers, 1996-2005.

OBJECTIVES: We examined how causes of and solutions to racial/ethnic health disparities are covered and framed in newspapers over time. METHODS: We used LexisNexis to identify articles on racial/ethnic health disparities published from 1996 through 2005 in 40 US newspapers. We coded articles for diseases and racial/ethnic groups mentioned; whether causes and solutions were framed as genetic, behavioral, health care, or societal responsibility; and whether a social-justice rationale for eliminating racial/ethnic health disparities was invoked. RESULTS: We identified 3823 racial/ethnic health disparity articles. Coverage peaked in 1998 and has declined since. Disparities in HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer generated the most coverage. Articles focused primarily on African Americans. Only 30% of articles provided causal or solution explanations, with academic researchers providing the most causal explanations and advocacy groups providing the most solutions. For both causes and solutions, behavioral explanations dominated the discourse, followed by societal, health care, and genetic explanations. Only 4% of articles invoked a social-justice rationale. CONCLUSIONS: The dominance of behavioral explanations may limit public support for policy solutions to eliminate racial/ethnic health disparities. Future research should examine the design and dissemination of effective messages about the social determinants of health.