Teen Drug Use in Primary Care

Prevalence of positive substance abuse screen results among adolescent primary care patients

Objectives; To measure the prevalence of positive substance use screen results among adolescent primary care patients and to estimate the prevalence of substance-related problems and disorders.

Results; Overall, 14.8% of adolescents had positive results on the CRAFFT screen.

Prevalence rates differed significantly across practices (P < .001) after adjusting for demographic factors.

The highest positive rates on the CRAFFT screen were at

School-based health centers (29.5%) and
Rural family practice (24.2%),
Middle rate was at the adolescent clinic (16.6%), and
Lowest rates were at the health maintenance organization (14.1%) and
Pediatric clinic (8.0%).
Sick visits had the highest rate (23.2%).
Well-child care visits had a significantly lower rate (11.4%, P < .001).

Statistical modeling estimated that 11.3% of all patients had problematic use,

7.1% had abuse, and
3.2% had dependence.

Conclusion; Substance abuse screening should occur whenever the opportunity arises, not at well-child care visits only.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(11):1035-1041.

Teens Under the Influence: The Truth About Kids, Alcohol, and Other Drugs- How to Recognize the Problem and What to Do About It
by Katherine Ketcham