2003 Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude, and Use Survey

Perceived Messages about Use

(PPAAUS items 106-130) Students perceive different messages from different sources about the acceptability of drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and smoking marijuana. In separate survey items, students were asked whether the message they received was "It's OK to use," or "It's not OK to use." Other response options were that a "mixed message" or “no message” came from a particular information source. The sources in the questionnaire are parents, friends, teachers, team coaches, club advisors, and the media (TV, radio, movies, magazines, music, or the Internet). In discussing coaches and club advisors, only those students who indicated participation in sports or clubs are included.

Tobacco
An average of 89 percent of the Franklin County middle-school students indicated that the message they got from their parents about using tobacco was “It’s not OK to use.” Sixty-five percent perceived messages of disapproval from their friends, 91 percent from their teachers, 88 percent from coaches, 84 percent from advisors, and 45 percent from the media. One percent of the sixth through eighth graders felt that their parents’ message about tobacco use was “It’s OK to use.” An average of six percent perceived an “It’s OK” message about tobacco use from their friends, one percent from their teachers, one percent from coaches, one percent from club advisors, and 15 percent from the media.

Among high-school students, 81 percent felt that their parents’ message was “It’s not OK to use” tobacco products. Forty-five percent thought their friends disapproved of tobacco use, and 79 percent felt their teachers disapproved of its use. An average of 88 percent of the ninth through twelfth graders thought their coaches gave an “It’s not OK” message. Eighty-one percent perceived disapproval of tobacco use from their activity advisors, and 31 percent from the media. Five percent of the high-school students read an “It’s OK to use” tobacco message from their parents, 17 percent from their friends, two percent from their teachers, two percent from team coaches, two percent from their club advisors, and 22 percent from the media.

Alcohol
Among Franklin County middle-school students, 77 percent felt that the message they received from their parents about drinking alcohol was “It’s not OK.” An average of 54 percent felt that they received an “It’s not OK” to drink alcohol message from their friends, 88 percent from their teachers, 85 percent from coaches, 82 percent from club advisors, and 37 percent from the media. An average of four percent of the sixth through eighth graders perceived an “It’s OK to use” message about alcohol from their parents, ten percent from their friends, one percent from teachers, one percent from coaches, one percent from activity advisors, and 21 percent from the media.

In high school, 62 percent of the Franklin County students said they got “It’s not OK to use” alcohol messages from their parents, 23 percent from their friends, 75 percent from their teachers, 85 percent from coaches, 78 percent from club advisors, and 19 percent from the media. An average of nine percent of the high-school students perceived “It’s OK to use” messages about alcohol from their parents and 38 percent from their friends. Three percent perceived messages of approval from their teachers, two percent from coaches, three percent from club advisors, and 36 percent from the media.

Marijuana
Among sixth through eighth graders in the Franklin County Schools, 90 percent felt that the message they received from their parents about smoking marijuana was “It’s not OK to use.” Fifty-eight percent of the middle-school students perceived “It’s not OK to use” messages from their friends, 91 percent from their teachers, 88 percent from coaches, 83 percent from activity advisors, and 42 percent from the media. An average of one percent of the sixth through eighth graders thought the message they got from parents was “It’s OK” to smoke marijuana. Seven percent of the middle-school students perceived an approving message about marijuana from friends, one percent from teachers, one percent from coaches, one percent from club advisors, and 13 percent from the media.

In high school, 83 percent of the students said they got “It’s not OK” to smoke marijuana messages from their parents, 30 percent from their friends, 83 percent from their teachers, 89 percent from coaches, 81 percent from activity advisors, and 24 percent from the media. An average of two percent of the Franklin County ninth through twelfth graders perceived “It’s OK to use” messages about marijuana from their parents and 23 percent from their friends. An average of two percent of the high-school students perceived messages of approval from their teachers, two percent from coaches, two percent from club advisors, and 18 percent from the media.

< Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  >