Students trading sex for drugs or alcohol happens also in rural B.C.: research

August 1, 2012 in Health

Just over two percent of teens in rural schools who have ever tried alcohol, marijuana or other drugs report they have also traded sex for these substances, according to University of British Columbia research published today in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.

This is the first study to track this issue among rural students.

Using 2009 from 2,360 students in Grades 7-12 from 28 schools in B.C.'s East Kootenays, the researchers found equal numbers of boys and girls traded sex, and that up to 98 per cent of them were living at home with family.

Conducted every two years by the East Kootenay Addiction Services Society (EKASS) in Cranbrook, B.C., the survey monitors trends in patterns, related harms and attitudes among students.

"This isn't just happening in the East Kootenays," notes co-author Dean Nicholson, executive director of EKASS. "Other research has documented this among students in Quebec, in the U.S., and in Oslo, Norway, at similar rates. So it's probably an issue in other schools across B.C., but school surveys aren't asking about this."

The research team found that trading sex was associated with using illicit drugs other than alcohol or marijuana, and those who traded sex had higher rates of weekly than other students.

"Several can be linked to trading sex for alcohol or drugs," says senior author Elizabeth Saewyc, a professor of nursing and at UBC. "We need to talk frankly with young people about this issue, both at home and in school."

Provided by University of British Columbia search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

CDC presents recent trends in health behaviors of US adults

(HealthDay)—In 2008 to 2010, the prevalence of key health behaviors among U.S. adults varied, with about one in five adults current smokers and 62.1 percent overweight or obese, according to a report presented ...

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Americans still making unhealthy choices, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or ...

Health created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

US court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban

A federal court in San Francisco Tuesday struck down Arizona's ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Health created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Aggressive behavior linked specifically to secondhand smoke exposure in childhood

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke in early childhood are more likely to grow up to physically aggressive and antisocial, regardless of whether they were exposed during pregnancy or their parents have a history ...

Health created 4 hours ago | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Most elite athletes believe doping substances are effective in improving performance

Most elite athletes consider doping substances "are effective" in improving performance, while recognising that they constitute cheating, can endanger health and entail the obvious risk of sanction. At the same time, the ...

Health created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Researchers find genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis

A paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and co-written by physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine finds that an important genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibros ...

Biomarkers discovered for inflammatory bowel disease

Using the Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR), University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified a number of biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which could help with earlier diagnosis and ...

Changing cancer's environment to halt its spread

By studying the roles two proteins, thrombospondin-1 and prosaposin, play in discouraging cancer metastasis, a trans-Atlantic research team has identified a five-amino acid fragment of prosaposin that significantly reduces ...

Global recommendations on child medicine

Transparent information on the evidence supporting global recommendations on paediatric medicines should be easily accessible in order to help policy makers decides on what drugs to include in their national drug lists, according ...