Article written by Celia Vimont :: May 18, 2012 :: The Partnership @ drugfree.org
Teens who complete a five-minute computer screening program that
includes six questions about alcohol and drug use, and who talk with
their pediatrician briefly about the results, reduce their risk of
drinking up to one year later, according to a new study.
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital studied more than 2,000
teens from New England and the Czech Republic. The teens completed the
screening program, which asks six questions about alcohol and drug use,
and then presents a score and risk level. The teens read through 10
pages with facts and stories that illustrate the serious health effects
of substance use.
The teens’ doctors receive a report with the results, and a list of
talking points for a two- to three- minute conversation about the risks
involved in alcohol and drug use. They tell the teens it would be best
for their health not to use alcohol or drugs at all.
The study found that after using the program, teens’ risk of drinking
dropped almost in half for three months, and by about one-quarter one
year after the doctor’s visit, the researchers report in the journal
Pediatrics.
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