| Tobacco use is the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smoking was previously identified as a "gateway drug", a predictor of alcohol and other drug use among adolescents. This dissertation study examined trends, predictors, and associations of alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) use among Indiana public school 6th--12th grade students. Data were collected from 1991 to 1997 via the ATOD use among Indiana Children and Adolescents Survey conducted by Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University. A total of 404,009 students were surveyed from 1991--1997. Survey data were managed by using SPSS computer program for data analysis. Smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use were analyzed by using respective index scores. Logistic and multiple regression, ANOVA, and Moving Average statistical tests were employed in data analysis. While trends of alcohol use were downward and trends of marijuana use were upward across time for all grades, trends of smoking varied by grade levels, with an increasing trend for 10th--12th, a leveling trend for 8th--9th, and a decreasing trend for 6th--7th grades. Physiological reactions to drug use, perceived peer approval and perceived risks of drug use, driving under the influence of alcohol, grade level, and the year of the survey were significant predictors included in final prediction models for cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use behaviors. Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased use of other drugs in terms of drug use status, the number of drugs used, and the frequency of drug use. These findings could be useful in planning effective drug use prevention and education programs. |
