Objective: To examine adolescent perception of risk and the behavior a
nd attitudes of parents and friends to evaluate which best predicts al
cohol and tobacco use in a sample of rural adolescents. Methods: Data
were collected from one rural school district using a paper and pencil
survey of 548 adolescents. Specific items related to personal use of
alcohol and tobacco, friends use of alcohol and tobacco and parental u
se of alcohol and tobacco and perception of risk about use of these su
bstances were analyzed using a multiple regression model for each subs
tance. Results: Friends use of alcohol and tobacco predicted adolescen
t use (.001), while perception of use was did not have any effect in t
he multiple regression model. Conclusion: Although the study failed to
support the idea that perception of risk was a strong influence on ad
olescent substance use, it did support other studies that have found f
riend or peer influence to be a key factor in initiation and subsequen
t substance use.