INCREASED DRUG-USE AMONG OLD-FOR-GRADE AND DROPOUT URBAN ADOLESCENTS

Introduction: In tracking the epidemic of drug use in our communities, much emphasis has been placed on identifying predictive variables. In this study, we examine the relationship between drug use and school p rogress among a sample of inner-city; adolescents. Methods: A blinded, anonymous questionnaire covering a variety of health risk behaviors w as administered to 1,720 adolescent patients who visited our outpatien t clinic. Participants were classified as age-appropriate for last sch ool grade completed, older than normal for grade, or as a dropout. A u rine specimen was also collected in a blinded, anonymous fashion from each participant, and tested for five common substances of abuse. Resu lts: Nearly 12% of participants tested positive for drugs, Participant s who were old for grade were over 40% more likely to be positive for drugs than grade-appropriate respondents, while school dropouts were m ore than twice as likely to test positive. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that being old-for-grade (OFG) and being a dropout in our population are markers for being at higher risk of substance abuse. (A m J Prev Med 1998;15:42-48) (C) 1998 American Journal of Preventive Me dicine.