ATLANTA — Latino high school students use drugs and attempt suicide at higher rates than their black and white classmates, according to a new federal survey that shows a continuation of a disturbing trend.
The study is the latest in a series of surveys of U.S. high school students every two years. The new report noted that black and white students are reporting less sexual activity than in years past, but there was no decline among Latinos.
Also, Latino students were more likely than either blacks or whites to attempt suicide, ride with a driver who had been drinking alcohol, or use cocaine, heroin or ecstasy.
Latinos also most often drank alcohol on school property, were offered or sold illegal drugs, and occasionally skipped school because they feared for their safety, according to the 2007 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts were unable to come up with an explanation for why Latino behavior trends differed. However, they speculated that school environments many Latinos face may differ considerably from what adolescents of other ethnic groups encounter. Earlier research found that Latinos and blacks more commonly attend highly segregated schools than whites or Asians.
“There’s tremendous segregation in our schools,” said Howell Wechsler, director of adolescent and school health for the CDC. He said he was “very troubled” that Latino teens had not improved in certain risk areas at the same rate as blacks and whites.
The finding comes from a survey of about 14,000 U.S. high school students that has been conducted every other year since 1991. Questionnaires go to students in grades 9-12 in public and private high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Researchers got parental permission for each participant.
The survey did not collect information on the parents’ income or education levels. Some experts say those factors also can be a strong indicator of a youth’s health behavior and academic achievement.
Adolescents cannot always be counted on to tell the truth about their sexual exploits, drug use and other risky behaviors. But CDC officials say they take many steps to secure accurate responses: Participation is confidential, kids are spaced apart when answering the questions and teachers do not hover.
The survey asks about a variety of behaviors, including sunscreen use, seatbelt avoidance, drug use and suicide attempts.
The full report can be found online at .
