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Weapon carrying on school property among middle school students
R H DuRant1, D P Krowchuk, S Kreiter
1Department of Pediatrics, Brenner Children's Hospital, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 25157-1081, USA. rdurant@wfubmc.edu
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|January 23, 1999
Summary
Early substance use in adolescents is linked to carrying weapons in middle school. Prevention programs addressing violence and substance use should start in elementary school.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Criminology
Background:
- Weapon carrying among middle school students is a significant concern.
- Understanding the correlates of weapon carrying is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between carrying weapons (guns, knives, clubs) at school and the onset and frequency of substance use.
- To explore the relationship between weapon carrying and other health risk behaviors, including violence indicators.
Main Methods:
- A modified Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to 2227 middle school students in North Carolina.
- Data on weapon carrying, substance use, violence, and other risk behaviors were collected and analyzed using logistic regression.
Main Results:
- 3% of students reported carrying a gun, and 14.1% carried a knife or club to school.
- Early onset and frequent substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine) were significantly associated with carrying guns and other weapons.
- Carrying knives or clubs was also associated with fighting, being threatened with a weapon, and suicide plans.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents initiating substance use early are more likely to carry weapons to school.
- Findings underscore the need for early school-based prevention programs that address both violence and substance use.
- Interventions should be implemented in elementary school to target young adolescents before risk behaviors escalate.