A Comparison of Drug Use Behavior by Selected U.S. and German School Youth

摘要

This study examined tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use in a convenience sample of tenth-grade students (n=306) in Cologne, Germany. A translated version of the 1999 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), modified for cultural relevance through pilot-testing, was used. Comparisons of lifetime and current use of these substances are made for U.S. and Cologne students. Although restricted by sampling limitations in the current study, the German-translated and pilot-tested version will permit future research to make cross-national comparisons using similarly worded items.