Lecture 10 from a college level neuropharmacology course taught in the spring 2012 semester by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Willamette University. Focus is on the Monitoring the Future.

1. Epidemiology of Drug Use
Brian J. Piper, Ph.D.

2. Epidemiology
• Study of diseases in population
• Descriptive, not inferential (+ who, - why)
– Nitrites “poppers”
– LSD
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/epidem/epid.1.html

3. Goals
• Monitoring the Future (MtF): self-report
survey of 8th - 12th grades
• National Household Survey of Drug Use
and Health (NHSDUH): interviews of age
12+
• Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN):
ER reports
• United Nations World Drug Report
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/public.cfm
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

4. Monitoring the Future
• National survey, conducted annually by NIDA of
secondary school (8th, 10th, or 12th), college
students, and adults (<45 yrs)
• Missing data (drop-outs = 15%, not attending) =
under-estimation
• Concern about labels (inadvertent marketing)
• Self-report
– Knowledge (e.g. steroids, diet pills, club drugs)
– Memory (e.g. How many drinks?)
– Taboo
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

5. Demographics
• Compares use by:
– Year (1975 – present)
– Sex
– Ethnicity
– Parental education
?
– Region
– College plans

7. Year & Grade
Illicit = Scheduled drugs including marijuana, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD
Not Illicit: EtOH, cigarettes, inhalants, Ritalin for medical purposes

9. When does use start?

12. What about ethnicity?
• Ranking:
– African-American
– Hispanic
– White

17. Subjective
Effects
Alcohol
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Heroin
LSD
Marijuana
Other Hallucinogens
Other Narcotics

18. Subjective
Effects

21. Young Adults: 19-30

22. How do college student differ from others in
Alcohol and Nicotine Use?

23. How do college student differ from others in
Alcohol and Nicotine Use?

24. D.A.R.E.
• Founded in 1983 by Daryl Gates
• Police officers give lectures to middle school
• Found in 80% of U.S. school districts, 54
nations
• Cohen’s d = (Mean – Mean )/ SD D.A.R.E. Control pop
d = 0.30 small, 0.50 medium, 0.70 large
http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp

25. Does D.A.R.E work?
Ennett S.T. (1994). American Journal of Public Health, 84, 1394-1401.

26. National Household Survey
on Drug Use & Health
• Face to Face 4 hour Interview (N=4,500)
• Nationally representative
• Excludes prisoners, transients
• Statistical Significance: *p < .05
• But clinical (real world) significance?
https://nsduhweb.rti.org/

33. Treatment Options

34. Treatment Options

35. Drug Abuse Warning Network
• Nationwide reports of ER/ED visits
• 242 hospitals nationwide
• Drug is “implicated”
– Overdose
– Suicide
– Accident

36. 2009
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/DAWN/2k9DAWNED/HTML/DAWN2k9ED.htm

37. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/DAWN/2k9DAWNED/HTML/DAWN2k9ED.htm

38. Ethnicity
Alcohol Illicit
White 59.6% 50.1%
Black 19.2% 26.9%
Hispanic 12.4% 13.1%
Other/Unknown 8.8% 9.9%
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/DAWN/2k9DAWNED/HTML/DAWN2k9ED.htm

39. Ethnicity
Alcohol Illicit National (2010 Census)
White 59.6% 50.1% 63.7%
Black 19.2% 26.9% 12.6%
Hispanic 12.4% 13.1% 16.3%
Other/Unknown 8.8% 9.9% 7.4%
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/DAWN/2k9DAWNED/HTML/DAWN2k9ED.htm

40. UNWDR
• United Nations World Drug Report
• Pooled data from various countries with
various methods
• Provides information about drug use,
treatment, and drug seizures

41. Annual Use

43. Injection Drug Use

44. Summary
• Data Sources:
– Monitoring the Future (Survey)
– National Household Survey on Drug Use & Health
(Interview)
– Drug Abuse Warning Network (ED)
– Patterns:
• Year
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Other: College Plans

45. Thought question
• Design an empirically based drug education
program for high-school students.
– What drugs would you target?
– What ages?
– Would ethnicity or other factors be involved in
your design making process?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html