FULL-TEXT (LARGE):
Substance Use among Asian Adolescents

Substance Use among Asian Adolescents

In Brief

Asian adolescents aged 12 to 17 had lower rates compared with the national average of past month cigarette use (3.9 vs. 10.2 percent), alcohol use (7.4 vs. 16.0 percent), marijuana use (2.9 vs. 6.9 percent), and nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs (1.8 vs. 3.3 percent) Among Asian adolescents, substance use varied by Asian subgroup; past month alcohol use, for example, ranged from a high of 9.7 percent among Filipino adolescents to a low of 5.1 percent among Asian Indian adolescents Asian adolescents who were born in the United States had a higher rate of past month alcohol use than Asian adolescents who were not born in the United States (8.7 vs. 4.7 percent), while the rate of nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs was higher among Asian adolescents not born in the United States than among those born in the United States (2.7 vs. 1.4 percent)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Asian adolescent population is projected to increase by 50 percent between 2011 and 2050 (1.0 vs. 2.2 million), making them one of the fastest-growing segments of the adolescent population in the United States.¹ Furthermore, the Asian-American adolescent population consists of many different ethnic subgroups, each having its own cultural norms. As the Asian adolescent population grows, monitoring substance use and other behavioral health problems among these youth as a whole and also by ethnic subgroup becomes increasingly important. Gaining a better understanding of substance use among Asian adolescents can help inform public health policy, build prevention and treatment programs that target the specific needs of these young people, and ultimately expand access to services.

This report uses data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine substance use among non-Hispanic Asian adolescents (hereafter referred to as "Asian adolescents") between the ages of 12 and 17.² Findings in the report are annual averages based on combined 2004 to 2009 NSDUH data.