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Running head: POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO

Points-of-access for alcohol and tobacco Kiana Blake South University July 11, 2020

POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO Points-of-access for alcohol and tobacco The social problem The article "Urban and rural adolescents' points-of-access for alcohol and tobacco" investigates differences in access points of alcohol and tobacco among rural and urban youth. The paper also examines how access to these drugs influences youths' choices to use them and the effectiveness of the government policies in controlling access to alcohol and tobacco. The old narrative that substance use is more prevalent in rural areas and male youth are more likely to access, and consumption has also been challenged in the article. Access to alcohol and tobacco is a contagious subject that has been discussed for ages. However, researchers have agreed that access to alcohol and tobacco, among other drugs, increases the chances of use or abuse among young adults. Researchers have, however, differed in the gender and urban/rural differences in drug abuse. While most researchers have established that rural youths are most likely to access and abuse drugs than urban ones, other researchers have not found a significant difference in sex and area of residence regarding access and usage of these drugs. This partly explains why most governments have invested massive resources in projects that seek to address drug prevention strategies in rural areas. The article also discusses the level of success of the government strategies that target preventing youths from using these drugs. Finally, the article discusses how the government and other relevant institutions can reduce drug use and abuse incidence (Williams, 2018).

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POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO Research method The researcher in this article used a survey through a sample that represented the study population. The researcher used 445 youth samples in his survey, who were selected to represent 30 different central communities in the U.S. the researcher also collaborated with four regional districts and a local drug prevention unit to come up with the desired sample size and selecting sample items. The survey dwelled more on the point-of-access of alcohol and tobacco by the youth samples used in the study. The samples were also investigated based on their demographics and use measures in the past one month. Significant predictors used by the researcher to investigate 30-day alcohol or tobacco use was the ability to access the drugs through family, peers, non-family member, and any other youth (Williams, 2018). Research results The research paper established that there were no significant differences between rural and urban access to alcohol and tobacco. If any, the differences were insignificant (Williams, 2018). Additionally, the research article established that general demographics such as religion, sex, and race did not predict differences in access to alcohol and tobacco. A male from an urban area has the same probability of accessing alcohol and tobacco, just like in the rural area. The same applies to sex, race, and gender. For instance, sex was not a significant predictor of alcohol or tobacco use in the past month. The article also established that some social points-of-access were strong predictors of tobacco and alcohol use in the past month. Furthermore, it found out that youths who accessed alcohol and tobacco easily had a higher chance of using or abusing them. For instance, the youths were the most influential for both alcohol and tobacco use among their peers. Young people who accessed alcohol or tobacco from their youth peers were more likely to use the drugs than those who obtained them from non-peer youth. However, the

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POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO

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influence on per and family on tobacco access was stronger than that of alcohol. Therefore, it means that a youth who accesses tobacco through their peers, family or non-family adults are most likely to use them compared to alcohol (Williams, 2018). The paper also found that smoking family members are significant predictors of tobacco use among youths because they form the primary source of the drug to them. Non-family adults are also key point-of-access for tobacco, according to this article. Finally, the research suggests that public health policies that aim at reducing access to tobacco and alcohol among youth must focus on reducing access through peer and non-peer youth. The efforts must also consider addressing the family as the primary point-of-access. In my opinion, the government needs to develop school strategies to reduce the onset prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents (Harding, 2016). Children spend more time in school than any other place, across their entire youthfulness. Applying school strategies will directly impact the children's access, and the use of these drugs and monitoring can be easier. For instance, schools can develop a development based program that focuses on behavioral theory and patterns among young adolescents. Teachers can also be taught about protective factors so they can teach their students. Teachers can learn the short-term symptoms and effects of alcohol and tobacco use to detect on time. Teachers should be trained about resistance and development skills to help students resist the temptations of using these drugs from their peers. Most young people do not have awareness about the effects of these drugs. This calls for an emphasis on normative education in schools. Increased use of interactive teaching techniques and small-group activities can help teachers identify a slight change in behavior caused by the use of these drugs. Lastly, schools need to work together with active family and

POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO community involvement in monitoring young people. Therefore, parents must continue playing these roles while students are not at school for a continuous preventive process.

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POINTS-OF-ACCESS FOR ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO References Harding, F. M., Hingson, R. W., Klitzner, M., Mosher, J. F., Brown, J., Vincent, R. M., ... & Cannon, C. L. (2016). Underage drinking: a review of trends and prevention strategies. American journal of preventive medicine, 51(4), S148-S157. Williams, R. D., Housman, J. M., Evans, J. L., Bishop, J. M., & Ray, V. (2018). Urban and rural adolescents’ points-of-access for alcohol and tobacco. Journal of community health, 43(2), 406-411. https://eds-b-ebscohostcom.su.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=5fa870a4-0392-41bd-8546ad6f73d31ad1%40pdc-v-sessmgr05

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