Sozioökonomische unterschiede im substanzkonsum von jugendlichen

Aim: To determine whether young people's substance use varies according to their parents' socioeconomic status and young people's level of education. Method: Data were drawn from the German sample of the international WHO study, »Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children,« in which 5,650 school children aged 11 to 15 years were interviewed during 2002. Results: Although parental occupational status and family affluence had only a weak influence on adolescents' substance use, the type of school had a stronger influence on tobacco and alcohol use. For cannabis use, neither socio-economic nor school-specific differences were found. Conclusions: The results show that preventive measures targeting a reduction in health inequalities needs to be further implemented in the context of schools, especially secondary schools.