Recent Alcohol Use and Episodic Heavy Drinking Among Hispanic Youth

Psychosocial Determinants to Prenatal Marijuana Use Among a National Sample of Pregnant Females: 2015–2018

Marijuana use continues to be rampant among pregnant females. This study sought to examine recent marijuana use among a national sample of pregnant females. Aggregated data from the 2015–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were utilized. Weighted analyses revealed that 5.19% of females used marijuana in the past 30 days. Those at greatest risk for recent use were African American (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.91); identified as gay/lesbian (aOR: 11.9) or bisexual (aOR: 3.37); used cigarettes (aOR: 2.74), alcohol (aOR: 5.10), and/or illicit drugs in the past month (aOR: 4.52); and thought marijuana was easy to access (aOR: 7.23). Women at decreased risk were older, Native Hawaiian, in their second trimester, and thought marijuana was a great risk. We believe our findings can inform harm-reduction efforts and inform prevention messages.

Effective Prevention Strategies for Increasing Health Services Utilization Among Hispanic Youth

The study purpose is to address the underutilization of mental health services among Hispanic youth. This article provides professionals with strategies to increase health services utilization by utilizing a framework of the levels of prevention model, with an emphasis on primary prevention. The following questions were explored: (1) What are primary prevention strategies that can assist school professionals? (2) What are secondary prevention strategies and tertiary prevention strategies school professionals can employ to increase the utilization of health services? Implementing primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies may improve Hispanic youth's overall mental health, academic achievement, and quality of life.

Alcohol use among recent Latino immigrants before and after immigration to the United States

BACKGROUND

US-born Latinos have higher rates of alcohol use than Latinos who have immigrated to the United States. However, little is known about the pre-immigration drinking patterns of Latino immigrants or about the changes in their drinking behaviors in the 2 years post-immigration.

OBJECTIVES

This article reports findings of a longitudinal study that compared rates of regular, binge, and heavy drinking among a cohort of recent Latino immigrants, ages 18-34, prior to immigration to the United States and in the 2 years post-immigration.

METHODS

Baseline data were collected on the drinking patterns of 405 Latino immigrants living in the United States for 12 months or less. A follow-up assessment occurred during their second year in the United States.

RESULTS

Findings indicate that number of days of drinking declined significantly post-immigration. Binge alcohol use (five or more drinks on the same occasion during the past 90 days) significantly declined during the post-immigration period. Heavy alcohol use (five or more drinks on the same occasion on five or more days during the past 90 days) also significantly decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest a need for continued exploration of pre-immigration drinking patterns and research to uncover underlying factors associated with declines in rates of problematic alcohol use among recent Latino immigrants.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

The results of this study can aid in furthering our understanding of the alcohol use of Latino immigrants ages 18-34 prior to and post immigration to the United States to guide future research and the development of culturally tailored clinical interventions.

Sex and grade level differences in marijuana use among youth

A total of 54,361 students in seventh through twelfth grades completed a survey examining the impact of perceived harm of marijuana use, ease of access in obtaining marijuana, and perceived parent/peer disapproval of marijuana use on youth involvement in annual and recent marijuana use. Results indicated that 1 in 6 (16%) students used marijuana in the past year, while 1 in 10 (10%) used marijuana in the past month. Students at highest risk for marijuana use were those who felt use was not harmful/somewhat harmful, felt it was easy/very easy to access marijuana, and had parents/peers who did not disapprove of use. Findings can assist prevention specialists to more thoroughly understand how perceived harm, ease of access, and parent/peer disapproval affect marijuana use among youth. Consistent parent-child communication on marijuana use should be encouraged.