A local study that suggests half of all children between 6th and 12th grades have used alcohol. That coming from the 2023 Pennsylvania Youth Survey.
The graph in the video shows the trends for youth and their usage of these substances. According to the 2023 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, alcohol has a strong lead in lifetime usage. The survey was done by UPMC Western Behavioral Health and focused on children in Somerset County. The survey shows vaping is the second most used substance out of all of these. Marijuana and cigarettes not far behind.
Becca Mull from UPMC says this poll is done every 2 years with Students ranging from the 6th grade to High School Seniors. In response to these survey results, Mull says her and other collaborating organizations, including Western Behavioral Health and the Somerset County Authority for Drug and Alcohol, are offering prevention programs — not only to kids in our region, but to make parents and the community aware as well.
Mull says there are programs for grade levels, as early as Preschool. Mull saying: “It’s incredibly important not only for the students, but the parents, the school, the community, to be aware of these trends, what we’re seeing. Because this is actually reported by the youth. So they’re the ones experiencing it, they’re able to share their experience and what’s happening to them. So, then we can take our programs and offer it that way.” Mull says these applications address subjects — such as prescription drug safety, alcohol, mental health, and vaping.
A link to these resources can be found here.
