Community Voluntary Sector Research Grant Scheme

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Community / Voluntary SectorResearch Grant Scheme

• A prevalence Study of Drug Use by Young People in
  a Mixed Suburban Area
• Researcher Dave Farrington
• Researcher Assistant Alison Connor
• Advisory Group Marian Clarke (KCCP) Declan
• Byrne (KCCP) Michael McGreil Edwina Kelly
• (NCI) Aileen OGorman (NACD)

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INTRODUCTION

• Proposal to the NACD from Kilbarrack Coast
  Community
• Project (KCCP)
• The main purpose of the research project was to
  establish
• the prevalence of drug use among young people in
  the
• Kilbarrack / Raheny area
• The research would be used to raise awareness in
  the
• community of young peoples drug use and to
  inform
• furture educational and preventive actions

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THE COMMUNITY

• The area to be researched was agreed to be the
  area
• covered by the KCCP and the local drug treatment
• centre in Kilbarrack
• The area is located in north east Dublin and
  includes a
• mix of local authority and private housing
  estates
• The total population of the area is approximately
  10,000
• and the youth population (ages 10-18)
  approximately
• 1,300

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METHADOLOGY

• The project utilised two main research methods
• Surveys of young people in school, and young
  people who had left school, by questionnaire
• Interviews with adults working and/or living in
  the community who would be aware of some aspects
  of young peoples drug use
• The survey was the main source of hard data
  whilst the interviews facilitated more in-depth
  exploration of the issues

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Methodological issues included

• Negotiating access to schools
• Negotiating access to early school leavers
• Concerns about encouraging interest in drugs
• Confidentiality
• Administration of the survey
• Validity of responses
• Processing data
• Combining data from different sources

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Results TOBACCO

• Over half of respondents had smoked tobacco and
  one quarter were current smokers (I.e. in the
  last month)
• More girls than boys had ever smoked and were
  current smokers
• Most of those who had ever smoked had first
  smoked before the age of thirteen
• Over 40 of sixteen to eighteen years olds were
  current smokers
• Most young smokers wanted to give up smoking

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Results - ALCOHOL (1)

• Alcohol was by far the most widely used drug
  among respondents
• Over three-quarters of respondents had taken
  alcohol and half were current drinkers
• Two-thirds of fourteen year olds were current
  drinkers
• One third of current drinkers had drunk alcohol
  more than six times in the last month
• The most common source of the first alcoholic
  drink is the home

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Results ALCOHOL (2)

• The most common source of alcohol for current
  drinkers is an older person buying it for them
• Almost two-thirds of current drinkers had been
  drunk in the previous thirty days
• Most of those who had drunk alcohol still drink
  and intend to continue to drink
• Effects on health and addiction were the biggest
  worries about alcohol
• The heaviest and most frequent drinkers were most
  likely to use other illicit drugs

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Results - CANNABIS

• Cannabis was the most widely used illicit drug
• Almost 40 of respondents had used cannabis and
  over 20 were current cannabis smokers
• Most who had ever taken cannabis had done so more
  than ten times and over half of current users had
  used it at least six times in the last month
• Most of those who currently use cannabis would
  like to continue to do so

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Results- INHALANTS PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

• Sixteen per cent of respondents had ever used
  inhalants
• Approximately ten per cent of respondents had
  ever misused prescription drugs
• Most of those who had ever used either inhalants
  or prescription drugs had done so in less than
  ten occasions

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Results Cocaine Heroin

• Six per cent of all respondents had ever used
  cocaine
• Cocaine use was more prevalent among boys than
  girls one quarter of boys aged sixteen to
  eighteen had used cocaine
• The prevalence of cocaine use was higher among
  early school leavers
• Less than one percent of school students and none
  of the early school leavers surveyed had ever
  taken heroin

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Results OTHER DRUGS

• Less than 4 of respondents had ever used ecstasy
  and only one per cent of respondents were current
  users
• LSD, amphetamines and magic mushrooms had only
  ever been used by very small proportions of
  respondents and most of these had done so on few
  occasions

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OVERVIEW OF DRUG USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE (1)

• The most commonly used drugs were alcohol,
  tobacco and cannabis
• The next most commonly used drugs were inhalants,
  prescription drugs and cocaine
• Other drugs were used only by small minorities
• Alcohol use was almost universal among mid to
  late teens
• Cannabis uses was widespread among mid to late
  teens the rate of current cannabis use was
  similar to the rate of current tobacco use

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OVERVIEW OF DRUG USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE (2)

• The prevalence of cocaine use was higher than in
  previous comparable studies and was generally
  considered to be increasing rapidly among older
  teenagers
• Most drugs were used by similar proportions of
  boys and girls, but in the 13 to 15 year age
  group, more girls than boys were current users of
  alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and prescription drugs
• The prevalence of alcohol use was similar, but
  for most other drugs it was higher among early
  school leavers
• Young people who participated in sport were less
  likely to use tobacco, alcohol or cannabis

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OVERVIEW OF DRUG USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE (3)

• Young people who drank alcohol frequently were
  more likely to also use other drugs
• The most commonly cited reasons for young people
  taking drugs were curiosity and peer influence
• The least commonly cited rason for young people
  taking drugs was boredom
• The most common worries about both alcohol and
  other drugs were the effects on health and the
  risk of addiction
• Most young people regarded all types of drug use
  as harmful although this did not necessarily
  deter them from using drugs

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CONCLUSION

• Our conclusion is that small-scale,
  community-based
• research can yield valuable information about
  drug use
• within communities or sections of communities.
• The particular benefits are that the community is
  actively
• engaged in discussion of drug-related issues,
  that the
• community has greater confidence in the findings
  of the
• research and that the research can be directed
  towards
• issues of real concern to the community.