Aug. 25--Underage alcohol use reported by Roanoke County middle and high school students is decreasing but the use of marijuana and prescription drugs is on the rise, according to students' responses to a survey.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was given to more than 8,000 county students in February, is a tool used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor health-risk behaviors. Roanoke County school officials have collected the data every two years since 2002.
"The YRBS helps the school system keep pace with issues in students' everyday lives," said Fran Kiker, coordinator of counseling services. "With this knowledge we can intervene, provide appropriate programming, put prevention programs in place and ally with parents to support their children as they develop toward adulthood."
Key findings of this year's survey include:
Nearly 36 percent of high school students reported using marijuana and 23 percent said they had used the drug within 30 days of the survey.
About one in 10 middle school students reported using marijuana.
More students reported missing school because of bullying, more than 12 percent in 2010 versus about 7 percent in 2002.
One in three high school students surveyed reported sending "inappropriate" pictures or messages via cellphone.
Among middle school students surveyed, there was a 22 percent decrease since 2004 in youth reporting that they drank alcohol before age 13.
Of the high school students surveyed, there was a 13 percent decrease since 2002 in the number who reported ever drinking alcohol.
There were decreases in four other categories of alcohol use by high school students, including use in the past 30 days, first drink at age 13 or younger, drinking and driving, and binge drinking.
"Many think you cannot change culture and habits of youth, but I beg to differ," Kiker said.
***
The Beta Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has awarded the following scholarships to Roanoke-area students:
$800 to Elise White.
$700 to Ti'Asia McGeorge and Mary Nguyen.
$500 to Empress Bey, LaDonna Billups, Keeya Craighead, Kayla Flood, Soyini Fraser, Deisha Jackson, Latrice Mayo, Morgen Nash, Jonathan Ragan and Natasha Richmond.
-----
To see more of The Roanoke Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.roanoke.com/.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Roanoke Times, Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).