Patterns of Mean Age at Drug Use Initiation Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults, 2004-2017

Alcover, Karl C.; Thompson, Christopher L.

doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.6235

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…It ranged from 20 to 21 years for cocaine, and 19 to 21 years for methamphetamine. The stable trend is consistent with results from the NSDUH [26], and the Monitoring the Future national survey [27]. This is also consistent with figures from other countries; in Australia, the median age of onset of cocaine and methamphetamine use is 22 and 20 years, respectively [28].…”

Section: Factors Associated With Age Of Onset Of Cocaine or Methamphetamine Usesupporting

confidence: 88%

Age of Onset and Its Related Factors in Cocaine or Methamphetamine Use in Adults from the United States: Results from NHANES 2005–2018

Guerin

Kim

2021

IJERPH

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Cocaine and methamphetamine are widely used illicit psychostimulants worldwide, with steadily increasing global markets that may impact on the frequency of use. Importantly, their use typically begins in youth. This is a particular concern because there is a link between the early age of first substance use and severity of substance use disorder later in life. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate trends in prevalence, frequency, and age of onset of cocaine or methamphetamine use between 2005 and 2018 in the United States, using the nationally representative NHANES datasets. Factors associated with the ages of cocaine or methamphetamine use onset were also identified. From 2005 to 2018, prevalence and frequencies of cocaine or methamphetamine use increased, while age of onset remained relatively stable (~20 years of age). Annual household income, use of other substances, and intravenous drug use were identified as factors associated with early onset cocaine or methamphetamine use. These factors have important implications toward developing new prevention programs to reduce psychostimulant use.

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Section: Factors Associated With Age Of Onset Of Cocaine or Methamphetamine Usesupporting

confidence: 88%

Age of Onset and Its Related Factors in Cocaine or Methamphetamine Use in Adults from the United States: Results from NHANES 2005–2018

Guerin

Kim

2021

IJERPH

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“…The average age of first use of cannabis in Australia (18.7 years) is more than 3 years earlier than that of first-time opioid use (22.0 years) [7]. A similar order of initiation is also reflected in the average age of first use among users entering treatment in Europe (17.0 and 24.0 years) [8] and past 12-month adolescent substance users in the United States (16.4 and 16.6 years) [9]. Furthermore, longitudinal cohort studies have found that non-medical opioid use is rarely reported without prior cannabis use [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weeding out the truth: a systematic review and meta‐analysis on the transition from cannabis use to opioid use and opioid use disorders, abuse or dependence

et al. 2021

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Background and Aims The idea that cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ to more harmful substances such as opioids is highly controversial, yet has substantially impacted policy, education and how we conceptualize substance use. Given a rise in access to cannabis products and opioid‐related harm, the current study aimed to conduct the first systematic review and meta‐analysis on the likelihood of transitioning from cannabis use to subsequent first‐time opioid use, opioid use disorders (OUD), dependence or abuse. Methods Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, pubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Informit Health Collection were searched for full‐text articles assessing the likelihood of transitioning from cannabis to subsequent opioid use, and from opioid use to OUD, abuse or dependence given prior cannabis use. Analysis of subpopulations within studies were discussed narratively, and E‐values were calculated to assess the potential influence of unmeasured confounding. Findings Six studies provided relevant data from the United States, Australia and New Zealand between 1977 and 2017, a total sample of 102 461 participants. Random‐effects analysis of the adjusted pooled effect size indicates that the likelihood of transitioning from cannabis to opioid use, relative to non‐cannabis users, is odds ratio (OR) = 2.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.26–3.36, whereas the likelihood of transitioning from opioid use to OUD, abuse or dependence given prior cannabis use is OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.65–3.84. While the evidence was determined to be of low quality with moderate risk of bias, E‐values suggest that these findings are robust against unmeasured confounding. Conclusion A systematic review and meta‐analysis found that while people who use cannabis are disproportionately more likely to initiate opioid use and engage in problematic patterns of use than people who do not use cannabis, the low quality of the evidence must be considered when interpreting these findings.

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“…For example, in a study from a large health care system with universal screening for prenatal cannabis use, Black women were three times more likely to report weekly cannabis use and four times more likely to report daily cannabis compared to Hispanic and white women (13). While women often report cannabis use during pregnancy to alleviate pregnancy related symptoms such as nausea and vomiting (Young-Wolff et al, 2018), most women initiate cannabis use well before pregnancy, by ages 16-18 (Alcover & Thompson, 2020;Chen et al, 2017). Additionally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syndemics of Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Sample of Racially Diverse Pregnant Young Women

Hill

Méndez

Haggerty

et al. 2022

Matern Child Health J

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Introduction Syndemic theory posits that poor health outcomes co-occur and amplify each other in the context of harmful conditions that must be addressed simultaneously to improve health equity. This analysis identifies perinatal syndemic factors and examine how factors are related to STI in a sample of racially diverse young pregnant women. Methods Pregnant participants (n = 61) ages 14-21 from racially diverse backgrounds were recruited from a prenatal clinic for an ongoing longitudinal study between October 2019-February 2020. Participants completed a tablet survey assessing pregnancy intention, psychosocial factors (e.g., depression, stress, partner violence, pregnancy history) and consented to provide access to their medical records for STI and clinical urine samples screened for tobacco and cannabis use. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to examine probabilities of co-occurring Syndemic indicators. Results Half of the women were Black (52%) and primigravida (54%). Three classes were identified in the LCA, two of them reflecting syndemics related to STI from the medical record. The largest class was half Black (51%), with a high rate of STI (65%), and was characterized by factors including depressive symptoms (93%), stress (64%), and substance use (65% cannabis, 82% tobacco). Additionally, the class with the highest rates of STI (74%) also had higher rates of partner violence (48%), morning sickness (100%), and prenatal cannabis use (63%). Conclusion Findings indicate evidence of a syndemic related to increased STI. A longitudinal evaluation of syndemics in this cohort may inform appropriately tailored intervention strategies to promote perinatal health in racially diverse young pregnant populations.

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Patterns of Mean Age at Drug Use Initiation Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults, 2004-2017

Abstract: for editing assistance. He was compensated for his contribution. We thank the patients' families for granting permission to publish this information.

Cited by 32 publications

References 5 publications

Age of Onset and Its Related Factors in Cocaine or Methamphetamine Use in Adults from the United States: Results from NHANES 2005–2018

Age of Onset and Its Related Factors in Cocaine or Methamphetamine Use in Adults from the United States: Results from NHANES 2005–2018

Weeding out the truth: a systematic review and meta‐analysis on the transition from cannabis use to opioid use and opioid use disorders, abuse or dependence

Syndemics of Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Sample of Racially Diverse Pregnant Young Women

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