by Amy Norton, Healthday Reporter
Helping students avoid substance problems is preferred approach.
(HealthDay)—Random drug testing in schools may sound like a good way to keep kids off drugs, but there is little evidence it works, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
In a new report, the nation's leading group of pediatricians reaffirms its stance against random drug testing in schools. The group suggests schools redirect their limited resources toward helping students avoid or overcome drug problems.
Teen alcohol and drug use is a big problem, the group says, and subjecting kids to random drug tests might sound like a strong deterrent. But scientific research shows otherwise.
"The evidence is just really weak," said Dr. Sharon Levy, a co-author of the report published online March 30 in Pediatrics.
For one thing, Levy said, the tests are unlikely to catch kids who use drugs sporadically, rather than heavily.
"And with kids, it's mainly sporadic use that you're trying to detect," said Levy, director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Boston Children's Hospital.
Daniel Romer is a researcher and director of the Adolescent Communication Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. He was not involved with the report, but agreed that random drug testing is largely ineffective.
In a recent study of U.S. high school students, Romer found that kids in schools with random drug testing were no less likely to experiment with alcohol or marijuana.
Around 20 percent of U.S. high schools had started a drug testing program by 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the number of schools doing so is rising, Romer said—with even some middle schools considering the tactic.
Testing usually involves a urine test that looks for drugs like marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines. Legally, random testing can target only kids going out for sports or other extracurricular activities.
And that means they miss many students—including some of those most at risk of drug abuse, Romer said.
Other issues include the risk of false-positive results. Some medications, such as ADHD drugs, or even certain foods can generate a positive result, Levy said.
And then there's cost. Levy's team said a single drug test is about $24. But since random testing catches so few students on drugs, it costs around $3,000 to get one positive test result.
Plus, Romer said, "random drug testing has no impact on kids' beliefs about drugs."
Students determined to use drugs will likely figure out how to get around the tests—for example, by switching to a drug that is not detected by their school's test panel. "Then it becomes like a cat-and-mouse game for them," Romer said.
"The idea of drug testing sounds good," he added. "The reality is different."
So what does keep kids from using and abusing drugs? That's not clear, Levy and Romer said.
Studies have found the most famous anti-drug effort used in U.S. schools—the D.A.R.E. education program—ineffective (though, Romer noted, it has recently been revamped). D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
In his own recent study, Romer found that kids in high schools with a "positive climate" were less likely than students at other schools to use marijuana or alcohol.
A positive climate means that kids feel safe and have a good relationship with their teachers, and the school has fewer problems with nondrug issues, like bullying.
"The question remains, how do you create a positive climate?" Romer said.
He thinks that if school officials feel they have a drug problem, it would be wise to look at the overall climate.
"How good are the relationships between students and adults at the school? Is there a problem with bullying?" Romer said. "It's unlikely that drugs are the only problem."
Levy said it makes sense for schools to be on the lookout for students with possible drug problems—through their behavior and school performance—and then try to help them, rather than punish them.
With random drug testing, it's not clear how often kids who test positive actually get help, Levy noted.
She said research has found that students who test positive are sometimes suspended or expelled from school, and may not get help for their drug issues.
Explore further: Suspension leads to more pot use among teens, study finds
More information: The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse answers questions on school drug testing.
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
School drug tests don't work, but 'positive climate' might
School drug testing does not deter teenagers from smoking marijuana, but creating a "positive school climate" just might, according to research reported in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Suspension leads to more pot use among teens, study finds
Suspending kids from school for using marijuana is likely to lead to more—not less—pot use among their classmates, a new study finds.
Recess: An essential part of the school day
(HealthDay)—Recess is an essential part of children's school days that can help set students up for success once they head back to the classroom, a new study suggests.
Legally high? Teenagers and prescription drug abuse
Legal drugs such as OxyContin now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. While awareness of the dangers of illegal drugs has increased, many teens are still ignorant of the significant physical danger posed by ...
'Desensitized' parents let kids watch more movie violence, sex
(HealthDay)—When parents become desensitized to violence and sex in movies, they may also become more lax about their children's exposure to both onscreen, a new study suggests.
Recommended for you
Identifying how drinking contexts and youth characteristics change over time
Previous research among young and older adults has suggested that the context in which drinking occurs may contribute to specific alcohol-related problems, such as aggression, risky sex, and drinking and driving. However, ...
Socioeconomic status moderates genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use
Research on genetic and environmental influences underlying alcohol use has thus far failed to uncover specific causes, likely because genetic and environmental influences vary by context. A study of the moderating effects ...
Major report on powdered cocaine use launched
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has today (12 March) published a major report on powdered cocaine and its impact on British society which was authored by a group led by a University of Manchester academic.
Gender and race influences when teens start drinking, smoking and doing drugs
Cigarette use among white teenagers is substantially higher than among black and Hispanic teenagers, especially at 18 years old, according to Penn State researchers. Alcohol and marijuana use are also higher in white teenagers, ...
Heroin overdose deaths quadrupled since 2000
(HealthDay)—Heroin overdose deaths have skyrocketed in recent years, quadrupling since 2000, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.
New drugs pose serious health risks says UN body
The proliferation of new narcotics developed to circumvent existing drug laws poses a serious health problem, the United Nations drugs control body said on Tuesday.
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
by Amy Norton, Healthday Reporter
Helping students avoid substance problems is preferred approach.
(HealthDay)—Random drug testing in schools may sound like a good way to keep kids off drugs, but there is little evidence it works, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
In a new report, the nation's leading group of pediatricians reaffirms its stance against random drug testing in schools. The group suggests schools redirect their limited resources toward helping students avoid or overcome drug problems.
Teen alcohol and drug use is a big problem, the group says, and subjecting kids to random drug tests might sound like a strong deterrent. But scientific research shows otherwise.
"The evidence is just really weak," said Dr. Sharon Levy, a co-author of the report published online March 30 in Pediatrics.
For one thing, Levy said, the tests are unlikely to catch kids who use drugs sporadically, rather than heavily.
"And with kids, it's mainly sporadic use that you're trying to detect," said Levy, director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Boston Children's Hospital.
Daniel Romer is a researcher and director of the Adolescent Communication Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. He was not involved with the report, but agreed that random drug testing is largely ineffective.
In a recent study of U.S. high school students, Romer found that kids in schools with random drug testing were no less likely to experiment with alcohol or marijuana.
Around 20 percent of U.S. high schools had started a drug testing program by 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the number of schools doing so is rising, Romer said—with even some middle schools considering the tactic.
Testing usually involves a urine test that looks for drugs like marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines. Legally, random testing can target only kids going out for sports or other extracurricular activities.
And that means they miss many students—including some of those most at risk of drug abuse, Romer said.
Other issues include the risk of false-positive results. Some medications, such as ADHD drugs, or even certain foods can generate a positive result, Levy said.
And then there's cost. Levy's team said a single drug test is about $24. But since random testing catches so few students on drugs, it costs around $3,000 to get one positive test result.
Plus, Romer said, "random drug testing has no impact on kids' beliefs about drugs."
Students determined to use drugs will likely figure out how to get around the tests—for example, by switching to a drug that is not detected by their school's test panel. "Then it becomes like a cat-and-mouse game for them," Romer said.
"The idea of drug testing sounds good," he added. "The reality is different."
So what does keep kids from using and abusing drugs? That's not clear, Levy and Romer said.
Studies have found the most famous anti-drug effort used in U.S. schools—the D.A.R.E. education program—ineffective (though, Romer noted, it has recently been revamped). D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
In his own recent study, Romer found that kids in high schools with a "positive climate" were less likely than students at other schools to use marijuana or alcohol.
A positive climate means that kids feel safe and have a good relationship with their teachers, and the school has fewer problems with nondrug issues, like bullying.
"The question remains, how do you create a positive climate?" Romer said.
He thinks that if school officials feel they have a drug problem, it would be wise to look at the overall climate.
"How good are the relationships between students and adults at the school? Is there a problem with bullying?" Romer said. "It's unlikely that drugs are the only problem."
Levy said it makes sense for schools to be on the lookout for students with possible drug problems—through their behavior and school performance—and then try to help them, rather than punish them.
With random drug testing, it's not clear how often kids who test positive actually get help, Levy noted.
She said research has found that students who test positive are sometimes suspended or expelled from school, and may not get help for their drug issues.
Explore further: Suspension leads to more pot use among teens, study finds
More information: The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse answers questions on school drug testing.
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
School drug tests don't work, but 'positive climate' might
School drug testing does not deter teenagers from smoking marijuana, but creating a "positive school climate" just might, according to research reported in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Suspension leads to more pot use among teens, study finds
Suspending kids from school for using marijuana is likely to lead to more—not less—pot use among their classmates, a new study finds.
Recess: An essential part of the school day
(HealthDay)—Recess is an essential part of children's school days that can help set students up for success once they head back to the classroom, a new study suggests.
Legally high? Teenagers and prescription drug abuse
Legal drugs such as OxyContin now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. While awareness of the dangers of illegal drugs has increased, many teens are still ignorant of the significant physical danger posed by ...
'Desensitized' parents let kids watch more movie violence, sex
(HealthDay)—When parents become desensitized to violence and sex in movies, they may also become more lax about their children's exposure to both onscreen, a new study suggests.
Recommended for you
Identifying how drinking contexts and youth characteristics change over time
Previous research among young and older adults has suggested that the context in which drinking occurs may contribute to specific alcohol-related problems, such as aggression, risky sex, and drinking and driving. However, ...
Socioeconomic status moderates genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use
Research on genetic and environmental influences underlying alcohol use has thus far failed to uncover specific causes, likely because genetic and environmental influences vary by context. A study of the moderating effects ...
Major report on powdered cocaine use launched
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has today (12 March) published a major report on powdered cocaine and its impact on British society which was authored by a group led by a University of Manchester academic.
Gender and race influences when teens start drinking, smoking and doing drugs
Cigarette use among white teenagers is substantially higher than among black and Hispanic teenagers, especially at 18 years old, according to Penn State researchers. Alcohol and marijuana use are also higher in white teenagers, ...
Heroin overdose deaths quadrupled since 2000
(HealthDay)—Heroin overdose deaths have skyrocketed in recent years, quadrupling since 2000, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.
New drugs pose serious health risks says UN body
The proliferation of new narcotics developed to circumvent existing drug laws poses a serious health problem, the United Nations drugs control body said on Tuesday.
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here
to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
0 comments:
Post a Comment