Racial, Gender, Socioeconomic Disparities Seen in Teen Alcohol, Drug Screening
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 -- Rates of biochemical alcohol and drug screening are disproportionately higher among adolescent trauma patients who are from racial and ethnic minorities, have public or no insurance, or are female, according to a research letter published online Oct. 4 in JAMA Network Open.
Jordan M. Rook, M.D., from the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare System, and colleagues used the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Quality Programs dataset (2017 to 2021) to identify 85,362 adolescent trauma patients (aged 12 to 17 years) presenting to 121 ACS-verified pediatric trauma centers. Receipt of biochemical alcohol and drug screening was compared by race.
The researchers found that 24.5 percent of adolescents underwent biochemical alcohol screening, with Black (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.08) and American Indian adolescents (aOR, 2.17) more likely to be screened than White adolescents. Similarly, Hispanic adolescents were more likely to be screened than non-Hispanic adolescents (aOR, 1.20). Screening was also more likely among adolescents who were Medicaid insured (aOR, 1.15) and uninsured (aOR, 1.13) versus those who were privately insured. Female adolescents (aOR, 1.32) were more likely screened than male adolescents. Similar results were seen for biochemical drug screening (21.8 percent screened overall), with higher screening odds seen for adolescents who were Black (aOR, 1.13), American Indian (aOR, 1.75), Hispanic (aOR, 1.20), Medicaid-insured (aOR, 1.28), uninsured (aOR, 1.18), or female (aOR, 1.28).
“Our findings indicate potential disparities in biochemical substance use screening at pediatric trauma centers,” the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
32 Percent of U.S. Adults Consumed Fast Food on a Given Day in 2021 to 2023
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- Over 30 percent of adults and children consumed fast food on a given day during August 2021 to August 2023, according to two reports from the National...
Disparities Seen in Continuous Glucose Monitor Rx by Language Preference
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), disparities in continuous glucose monitor (CGM) prescriptions are seen by language preference, with less access...
Survey Shows Few Adults Recognize Testicular Cancer as Affecting Young Men
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- Only one in 10 U.S. adults correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under age 40, according to a survey released June16 by...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.