Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Poster Session II, Thursday, April 1, 2004, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Session


Low Rates of Substance Use Among Asian Adolescents: Reflection of Actual Use or Hesitancy to Disclose?

Randy M. Page, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, Emilia Patricia Zarco, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY and Ching-Mei Lee, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

Identical substance use surveys were completed among two samples of Asian Adolescents which included approximately 2,500 Philippine high school students and 2,500 Taiwan high school students. The survey form administered to Philippine students was in English but included key terms in Tagalog to enhance readability and increase familiarity of substance use items. The survey form administered to Taiwanese students was translated into Chinese by faculty members at National Taiwan Normal University. The surveys assessed self-reported prevalence of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and several illicit substances. Compared to studies of U.S. high school students, students in both the Philippines and Taiwan reported considerably lower prevalence of substance use on all substance use measures. In fact, the reported prevalence of most substances was at only one-fourth or one-fifth the level of U.S. high school students. The comparatively low substance use prevalence reported by these samples of Asian students raises the question of whether these indicators reflect actual prevalence or rather demonstrate a reluctance to report actual substance use. This presentation explores the reasons for the low rates of reported substance use and discusses the implications of these findings for future drug use research involving Asian adolescents.

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