Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States
Background: Marijuana is a widely used substance in the United States (US) and worldwide. We explored trends in self-reported marijuana use among US adolescents overall as well as by gender, race/ethnicity, and school grade. Methods: Biennial data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2011 to 202...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Pediatric Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7503/16/4/74 |
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| author | Jack Yang Maria C. Mejia Lea Sacca Charles H. Hennekens Panagiota Kitsantas |
| author_facet | Jack Yang Maria C. Mejia Lea Sacca Charles H. Hennekens Panagiota Kitsantas |
| author_sort | Jack Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Marijuana is a widely used substance in the United States (US) and worldwide. We explored trends in self-reported marijuana use among US adolescents overall as well as by gender, race/ethnicity, and school grade. Methods: Biennial data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2011 to 2021 included 88,183 adolescents in grades 9th through 12th. We used percentage change as a measure of effect and the chi-square test for significance. All analyses were conducted at the national level. Results: The percentage of adolescents who reported current marijuana use dropped significantly from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021 (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The self-report of trying marijuana for the first time before age 13 also decreased significantly from 8.1% in 2011 to 4.9% in 2021 (<i>p</i> < 0.05). For current use, there were similar significant decreases by race/ethnicity, with Asian, Hispanic, and White adolescents experiencing the steepest declines. In 2021, the percentage of Black adolescents self-reporting marijuana use was significantly higher (20.5%) compared to White (14.8%), Hispanic (16.7%), and Asian (5.1%) adolescents. Although current marijuana use declined significantly for both girls and boys over time, in 2021 girls were more likely (17.8%) to currently use marijuana than boys (13.6%). In 2011, the opposite was true, with boys (25.9%) being more likely to use marijuana than girls (20.1%). Conclusions: In US adolescents in 2021, there were decreases in self-reports of marijuana use compared to 2011. Behavioral interventions within school and family environments may be critical in mitigating the risk of marijuana use. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6f032b62511a411dbcc1bd2272159dd3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2036-7503 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pediatric Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-6f032b62511a411dbcc1bd2272159dd32024-12-27T14:45:36ZengMDPI AGPediatric Reports2036-75032024-10-0116487287910.3390/pediatric16040074Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United StatesJack Yang0Maria C. Mejia1Lea Sacca2Charles H. Hennekens3Panagiota Kitsantas4Department of Population Health and Social Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USADepartment of Population Health and Social Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USADepartment of Population Health and Social Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USADepartment of Population Health and Social Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USADepartment of Population Health and Social Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USABackground: Marijuana is a widely used substance in the United States (US) and worldwide. We explored trends in self-reported marijuana use among US adolescents overall as well as by gender, race/ethnicity, and school grade. Methods: Biennial data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2011 to 2021 included 88,183 adolescents in grades 9th through 12th. We used percentage change as a measure of effect and the chi-square test for significance. All analyses were conducted at the national level. Results: The percentage of adolescents who reported current marijuana use dropped significantly from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021 (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The self-report of trying marijuana for the first time before age 13 also decreased significantly from 8.1% in 2011 to 4.9% in 2021 (<i>p</i> < 0.05). For current use, there were similar significant decreases by race/ethnicity, with Asian, Hispanic, and White adolescents experiencing the steepest declines. In 2021, the percentage of Black adolescents self-reporting marijuana use was significantly higher (20.5%) compared to White (14.8%), Hispanic (16.7%), and Asian (5.1%) adolescents. Although current marijuana use declined significantly for both girls and boys over time, in 2021 girls were more likely (17.8%) to currently use marijuana than boys (13.6%). In 2011, the opposite was true, with boys (25.9%) being more likely to use marijuana than girls (20.1%). Conclusions: In US adolescents in 2021, there were decreases in self-reports of marijuana use compared to 2011. Behavioral interventions within school and family environments may be critical in mitigating the risk of marijuana use.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7503/16/4/74adolescentsmarijuanacannabisstudentsUnited States |
| spellingShingle | Jack Yang Maria C. Mejia Lea Sacca Charles H. Hennekens Panagiota Kitsantas Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States Pediatric Reports adolescents marijuana cannabis students United States |
| title | Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States |
| title_full | Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States |
| title_short | Trends in Marijuana Use among Adolescents in the United States |
| title_sort | trends in marijuana use among adolescents in the united states |
| topic | adolescents marijuana cannabis students United States |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7503/16/4/74 |
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