Adolescent Substance Use in Rural America: Current Profile

&NA; Adolescent substance use in rural America has changed over the past decade. The purpose of this article is to describe the current profile of alcohol and drug use in a sample of adolescents in rural Pennsylvania. A total of 193 students (average = 15.6 years, SD = .93) from three high schools in rural western Pennsylvania were surveyed. Alcohol was reported at the highest percentage of use (49%), followed by painkillers (30.6%), and marijuana (13.6%). No significant difference in substance use was found between males and females, except for marijuana use (x2 = 4.293, p value = .042). The results of this study have implications for the development of health education programs.

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