School drug testing – Abstracts – study by Oregon Health and Sciences University – Brief Article
High schools with random drug-testing programs dramatically lowered rates of drug use among student athletes, according to a study by the Oregon Health and Sciences University.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted at two Oregon high schools. Wahronka High School in Dalles, Ore., requires mandatory drug tests for its athletes. A school of comparable size, Warrenton High School outside Astoria, Ore., does not.
Based on student surveys, 5.3 percent of the athletes subjected to drug testing reported using illegal substances compared to 19.4 percent of those who were not randomly tested.
Wahtonka students were only a third as likely to use performance-enhancing substances such as steroids, the study reported.
Full results are available in the January 2003 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. The publication’s website is www.medicindirect.com.
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