According to a local survey, students in Mitchell, South Dakota, are starting to drink at younger ages. The survey, given to local middle school and high school students, indicates that kids as young as 12 and 14 are using alcohol. Karen Allen, a prevention specialist from the Mitchell School District, commented on the findings: "In the Mitchell community, we definitely need to look at the alcohol use of our students. ... It's high - 34 percent of our ninth-graders reported using alcohol in the last 30 days." Among seventh graders, the rate of alcohol use was approximately 20 percent.
The study also found that alcohol use leads to other risky behaviors for some youth. In the past 12 months, 35 percent of students reported riding with a driver who had been drinking; 41 percent of ninth graders reported being at a party within the past year where kids their age were drinking. The survey was developed and administered by the Search Institute of Minneapolis, and was funded through an anti-tobacco grant from the South Dakota State Department of Health.
(Sources: www.mitchellrepublic.com)
Labels: teen drinking, south dakota
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
