While 10.3 percent of youths who reported seeing or hearing media prevention messages in the past year admitted to binge drinking in the past month, 12.5 percent of youth not exposed to prevention messages engaged in binge drinking.
In terms of drug use, 10.8 percent of those who reviewed prevention messages engaged, while a higher 13.7 percent who were not exposed used drugs.
In 2003, 83.6 percent of youth (20.8 million) reported seeing or hearing an alcohol or drug prevention message.
SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie concludes, "Teenagers exposed to prevention messages through the media are less likely to use alcohol and illicit drugs. Clearly, the media is one of the many avenues we must use to communicate with young people that drinking and drug use are dangerous and wrong."
SAMHSA collected its data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health -an annual survey of some 70,000 people. The survey collects information from residents of households, residents of non-institutionalized group quarters and civilians living on military bases. The survey provides estimates for 21 different measures related to substance use or mental illness.
The 2003 survey included responses from 22,665 youth ages 12 to 17.
