The Social Contexts of Drug Offers and Their Relationship to Drug Use of Rural Hawaiian Youths

This article examines the differences in drug offers and recent drug use between Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian youths residing in rural communities, and the relationship between drug offers and drug use of Hawaiian youths in these communities. Two hundred forty-nine youths (194 Hawaiian youths) from 7 different middle or intermediate schools completed a survey focused on the social context of drug offers. Hawaiian youths in the study received significantly more offers from peers and family, and had significantly higher rates of recent alcohol and marijuana use, compared with non-Hawaiian youths. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the social context differentially influenced drug use of Hawaiian youths, with family drug offers and context influencing overall drug use and the use of the widest variety of substances. Implications for prevention practices are discussed.