MSGID: 1:317/3 6406bdf7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Hair analysis shows child drug use could be twice as high as we think   
    Experts recommend future substance use research should combine survey and   
   hair analysis results    
      
     Date:   
         March 6, 2023   
     Source:   
         Taylor & Francis Group   
     Summary:   
         Hair analysis could be the key to understanding adolescent drug   
         usage, as a new study uncovers almost double the number of children   
         were found to be using substances than those who admitted to in   
         a US survey.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Hair analysis could be the key to understanding adolescent drug usage,   
   as a new study uncovers almost double the number of children were found   
   to be using substances than those who admitted to in a US survey.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Published in the peer-reviewed journal American Journal of Drug and   
   Alcohol Abuse, the research looking at more than 1,300 children, aged   
   nine to 13, found a 9% increase in substance use when adding hair analysis   
   results to those of the survey.   
      
   The paper suggests hair analysis far outweighs the accuracy of assessing   
   drug use compared to survey alone, and experts recommend that future   
   research should combine both methods.   
      
   "It's vital that we understand the factors that lead to drug use in   
   teenagers, so that we can design targeted health initiatives to prevent   
   children from being exposed to drugs at a young age," says Natasha Wade,   
   an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California,   
   San Diego, who led the study.   
      
   Adolescent substance use is a serious public health issue, with 5%   
   of US 8th graders (ages 13-14) reporting cannabis use in the last   
   year. The numbers are even higher for alcohol and nicotine use, with 26%   
   of 8th graders admitting to drinking and 23% to smoking nicotine in the   
   past year.   
      
   These numbers are worrying enough, as substance use during adolescence   
   is linked to a whole host of negative life outcomes -- including poor   
   academic achievement, mental health problems and changes in brain   
   function.   
      
   But what if the figures are actually greater than this?  To find out a   
   multidisciplinary team of experts, led by Dr Wade, asked 1,390 children   
   whether they had taken drugs in the last year. Hair samples were then also   
   taken so that independent tests could confirm whether recent drug-taking   
   had taken place.   
      
   Of the children who were asked if they had taken drugs, 10% agreed that   
   they had. Hair analyses also showed that 10% of adolescents overall   
   tested positive for at least one drug, with 6.1% testing positive for   
   cannabinoids, 1.9% alcohol, 1.9% amphetamines, and 1.7% cocaine.   
      
   However, the children that self-reported drug-taking were not the same   
   as those who tested positive through hair samples. In fact, of the 136   
   cases that self- reported any substance use and 145 whose hair samples   
   were positive for any drug, matches were found for only 23 cases.   
      
   Most importantly, hair drug analysis revealed an additional 9% of   
   substance use cases over and above self-report alone, nearly doubling   
   the number of identified substance users to 19%.   
      
   "A long-standing issue in substance use research, particularly that   
   relating to children and adolescents, is a reliance on self-reporting   
   despite the known limitations to the methodology. When asked, children   
   may mis-report (unintentionally or intentionally) and say they take drugs   
   when they don't, or conversely deny taking drugs when they actually do,"   
   Dr Wade adds.   
      
   "But rather than scrapping self-reporting of drug use altogether, a more   
   accurate picture of teenage substance use can be gained by measuring both.   
      
   "Self-reporting has its own strengths, for instance young people may   
   be more willing to disclose substance use at a low level, but are less   
   likely to when frequent drug-taking patterns emerge.   
      
   "Conversely, hair assays are not sensitive enough to detect only one   
   standard drink of alcohol or smoking one cannabis joint. Instead, the   
   method is better at detecting frequent and moderate to heavy drug use.   
      
   "Combining both methodologies is therefore vital to accurately determine   
   the levels of substance use in the teenage population."  Commenting on   
   the findings of their paper, the authors also add however, that it is   
   important to note that there is a chance that some, perhaps even many,   
   of these youth are unaware that they even used a substance, as it could   
   have been given to them by a parent or peer or they may have simply   
   forgotten they had used it.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Controlled_Substances # Pharmacology # Teen_Health   
                   # Hair_Loss # Pharmaceuticals # Children's_Health #   
                   HIV_and_AIDS # Personalized_Medicine   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Pharmacology o Hair o Hair_follicle o Developmental_psychology   
             o Narcotic o Unsaturated_fat o Molecular_biology o Vitamin_C   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Taylor_&_Francis_Group. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Natasha E. Wade, Ryan M. Sullivan, Susan F. Tapert, William   
      E. Pelham,   
         Marilyn A. Huestis, Krista M. Lisdahl, Frank Haist. Concordance   
         between substance use self-report and hair analysis in   
         community-based adolescents. The American Journal of Drug and   
         Alcohol Abuse, 2023; 49 (1): 76 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2164931   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230306143439.htm   
      
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