Contrasting levels of adolescent drug use between adjacent urban and rural communities in Scotland

To compare life-time prevalence of illicit drug use between adolescents resident in adjacent urban and rural localities.

Samples of schoolchildren attending urban and rural comprehensive schools (n = 2558) were obtained using an identical questionnaire survey method.

Respondents were recruited from 10 schools in two contrasting adjacent local authorities. Five representative schools in each locality were chosen.

All children present in each school, in the two final compulsory school years, were eligible for this study.

Respondents were asked to provide detailed information about their place of residence and use of illegal drugs. The data obtained in schools were compared with local geographical statistics, such as levels of deprivation.

As expected from the demographics of their respective localities, the urban schools displayed higher levels of deprived children and lower levels of school achievement. These socio-economic differences were not reflected in reported levels of life-time drug use. This was true both between and within the urban and rural samples.

These findings suggest that adolescent drug use in Scotland is not particularly concentrated in areas of urban deprivation.