ASSAD 2017 Victorian Statistics & Trends: Second Edition

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ASSAD 2017: Statistics & Trends in Victoria 1

Important note for readers

Since its original publication in December 2019, this report and the associated dataset has undergone a quality control review process. This process identified small errors in the calculation of population weights used during analyses of the 2017 data and inconsistencies compared to previous ASSAD survey years in the data cleaning protocols that were applied to a select group of variables for that survey year. Several transcription errors in the report were also identified. In rectifying these issues for the updated second edition of this report, it is important to note that some of the previously reported prevalence estimates have changed. However, these changes are generally minor (± 1%) and have not affected the key prevalence estimates of current (past week) and past month smoking and drinking among students aged 12-17 years, both overall and for male and female students separately.

August 2020, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria

Report prepared by: Nicola Guerin, Victoria White, and Claudia Gascoyne

Prepared for Victorian Department of Health & Human Services

Suggested citation

Guerin, N., White, V., & Gascoyne, C. (2020). ASSAD 2017 Victorian Statistics & Trends: Victorian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the-counter Drugs, and Other Substances. Second Edition. Cancer Council Victoria.

Published by Cancer Council Victoria

615 St Kilda Road Melbourne Victoria 3004 Australia

For enquiries contact:

Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer

T: +61 3 9514 6410

E: [email protected]


ASSAD 2017 VICTORIA VICTORIAN STATISTICS & TRENDS: SECOND EDITION

Victorian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the-counter Drugs, and Other Substances

This report presents information from the Victorian component of the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSAD) on the use of tobacco, alcohol, over-the-counter drugs (for non-medicinal purposes), and other licit and illicit substances, among school students aged 12 to 17 years in Victoria.

The 2017 ASSAD survey was conducted during the academic school year of 2017 and was the twelfth survey in a series that began in 1984. The first six ASSAD surveys measured adolescent use of tobacco and alcohol. Since the seventh survey, ASSAD has also included questions about the use of over-the-counter drugs (for non-medicinal purposes) and other substances.

In 2017, over 4,200 Victorian secondary students aged between 12 and 17 participated in the survey. Students were asked about their current and lifetime use of tobacco, alcohol, analgesics, tranquilisers, and other substances, and their behaviour related to the use of these substances.

Included with the report are detailed tables on the prevalence of use of these substances among adolescents aged between 12 and 17 in Victoria during 2017, and trends in their use over time since 2011.


Acknowledgements

The Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer at Cancer Council Victoria gratefully acknowledges the cooperation and assistance of the following people and organisations in this survey:

All students who participated in the survey

Staff of participating schools

Department of Education

State and diocese Catholic education offices

Association of Independent Schools of Victoria

Australian Government Department of Health

Victorian Department of Health and Human Services

Creative Data Solutions

Australian Council for Educational Research advised on all aspects of sampling

Wai Yen Loh, Larissa Popowski, and Alison Hopkins, of Cancer Council Victoria managed and undertook data cleaning and coding

Maree Scully and Emily Bain of Cancer Council Victoria undertook data checking and report validation

We also thank the research team who administered the survey to students throughout Victoria


Table of contents

ASSAD 2017 Victoria: Snapshot 5

Introduction 6

Tobacco use among Victorian secondary students 7

Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students 12

Use of over-the-counter drugs & other substances among Victorian secondary students 17

Additional findings about substance use among Victorian secondary students 22

Tables 23

Tobacco use among Victorian secondary students 23

Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students 31

Use of over-the-counter drugs & other substances among Victorian secondary students 38

Method 58

Guerin, N., White, V., & Gascoyne, C. (2020). ASSAD 2017 Victorian Statistics & Trends: Victorian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the-counter Drugs, and Other Substances. Second Edition. Cancer Council Victoria

83%

had never smoked

Higher than 2011

Most Victorian students have

never smoked

ASSAD 2017 Victoria Victorian secondary students’ use of

tobacco, alcohol, and other substances

Snapshot

4% were current smokers1

Fewer than in 2011 (7%)

14% had ever

used electronic cigarettes (vaped, used e-cigarette)

4% used an e-cigarette

in the past month

1 Students who had smoked in the past week were defined as

current smokers. Students who had consumed alcohol in the

past week were defined as current drinkers.

Fewer Victorian students are drinking alcohol

33% had never had an

alcoholic drink

Prevalence has declined since 2011

1 in 4 drank in the past

month

1 in 7 17 year olds drank

five or more alcoholic drinks at least once

in the past week

1 in 6 had ever used tranquilisers

for non-medical reasons

Most accessed through parents

Few students had tried

illicit substances

Cannabis was the most commonly used

illicit substance

5%

12 year olds

20%

17 year olds

48% of current drinkers1

obtained alcohol from parents

Regional

students were more likely to drink and at risky levels

Cannabis

15% ever used

70% of past-month smokers had

used roll-your-own tobacco

84% current smokers obtain cigarettes

from family or friends and do not buy them


Introduction

The Victorian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey

In 2017, we conducted the twelfth survey in a triennial series assessing Victorian secondary school students’ use of alcohol, tobacco and other substances. This survey was part of the national Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug survey (ASSAD) that assessed substance use among secondary school students. The Victorian component of ASSAD was first conducted in 1984 and collected information on students’ tobacco and alcohol use. In 1996, questions on the use of other substances such as cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, opiates, steroids and analgesics, were included in the survey, and the study became a collaborative project between the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and Cancer Council Victoria.

We surveyed over 4,200 Victorian secondary students during 2017 and provide prevalence estimates for the use of licit and illicit substances in this population. As in previous survey years, teenagers who were not at school in 2017 were not included in the school-based sample.


Vaping

had ever vaped (used an e-cigarette)

of ever vapers used an e-cigarette in the past month

Current smokers1 16% bought cigarettes themselves 48% obtained cigarettes from friends 25% of current smokers smoked daily Most common brands: 25% JPS 12% Winfield

Current smoking (in the past week) has

more than halved since 2008

2017

ASSAD 2017 VICTORIA

Tobacco use among Victorian Secondary Students

5% 12 yo

34% 17 yo

Ever tried a cigarette

Trends in smoking

2011-2017

7%

smoked in the

past month

83%

had never smoked

1 in 25

smoked in the past week

14%

27%

10%

7%

8%

6%

7%

4%

past month smoking past week smoking

2011

2014

2017

1 Students who had smoked in the past week were defined as current smokers.

4%

2017

9%

2008


Current smoking

In 2017, 83% of secondary students in Victoria had never smoked (Table 1.1). Only 5% of students aged 12 had ever smoked. Smoking was more common among older than younger students, but around two-thirds (66%) of those aged 17 had never smoked.

Age 12 Age 17

Past week 1% 9%

Past month 1% 16%

Overall, around 17,152 students were current smokers (smoked in the past week). Around 2% of all students had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.

• 1 in 3 current smokers had smoked on only one day in the past week

• around half of current smokers had smoked on at least three days in the past week (committed smokers)

• 1 in 4 current smokers smoked daily

Sex differences in smoking

There were no notable sex differences in smoking overall. Male and female students were as likely to have ever smoked or be current smokers (Table 1.1).

• more male than female students aged 12 had smoked in the past year

Smoking trends

Smoking has declined markedly among both younger and older secondary students since the 1990s, corresponding to declines in smoking among adults (Figure 1.1).

For younger students

• lifetime smoking was lower in 2017 (11%) than in 2011 (18%) (Table 1.2)

• past month smoking was lower in 2017 (4%) than in 2011 (6%)

• current smoking declined from 4% in 2011 to 3% in 2017

• committed smoking declined from 2% in 2011 to 1% in 2017

For older students

• lifetime smoking and students that had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were lower in 2017 (31%; 5%) than in 2011 (41%; 8%, Table 1.2)

• current smoking declined from 14% in 2011 to 8% in 2017

• committed smoking declined from 8% in 2011 to 4% in 2017

• daily smoking declined from 4% in 2011 to 2% in 2017

4% of 17 year olds

were committed smokers

5% of 17 year olds had smoked > 100 cigarettes

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

past month smoking past week smoking

2011

2014

2017


Figure 1.1: Percentage of Victorian secondary students who smoked, 1984-2017

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Current and committed smoking

Current smokers, 16-17 years

Committed smokers, 16-17 years

Current smokers, 12-15 years

Committed smokers, 12-15 years

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Past month smoking

Past month smokers, 16-17 years

Past month smokers, 12-15 years

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Past year and lifetime smoking

Ever smokers, 16-17 years

Past year smokers, 16-17 years

Ever smokers, 12-15 years

Past year smokers, 12-15 years


Number of cigarettes smoked

Male current smokers smoked an average of 21 cigarettes per week, with female current smokers using fewer cigarettes (M=13, Table 1.3).

There were no sex differences in the proportions of current smokers who had smoked on only one day of the past week, on three or more days of the past week, or daily.

Brand, pack size, and type of tobacco

Among Victorian secondary students who were current smokers, the most common cigarette brands used were JPS (25%) and Winfield (12%, Table 1.4).

The most common usual cigarette pack sizes among current smokers were 20s (31%), 40s (18%), and 30s (16%, Table 1.5).

Roll-your-own tobacco

More than two-thirds of past month smokers had used roll-your-own tobacco (70%, Table 1.6).

Flavour capsule cigarettes

Flavour capsule cigarettes (also known as crushball, hybrid or dual flavoured cigarettes) feature a capsule in the filter that releases a liquid when squeezed that ‘flavours’ the smoke. Nearly half (48%) of past month smokers had used flavour capsule cigarettes (Table 1.6).

Average number of cigarettes smoked in the past week by current smokers

aged 12-17

Usual pack size among current smokers aged 12-17

non-daily6

daily43

31%

18%16%

8% 7%5%

1% 1% 1%

20 40 30 25 50 26 22 35 23

70% of past month smokers had

used roll-your-own

tobacco

48% of past month smokers had used flavour

capsule cigarettes


Sources of cigarettes

Student purchase of their own cigarettes has been increasingly less common since the 1990s. In 2017, 16% of all current smokers bought their last cigarette themselves (Table 1.7), similar to 2014 (18%) and 2011 (15%). Nearly one-quarter of current smokers obtained cigarettes from a friend under 18, and one in five obtained them from a friend over 18, with 11% taking them from home, and a further 11% asking someone to buy them (Table 1.8).

Regional differences in smoking

Lifetime, past year, past month, past week and committed smoking was more common among students living in regional areas than those who resided in greater metropolitan Melbourne (Table 1.9).

Other tobacco products

Students were asked about their use of shisha or waterpipe tobacco, cigars or cigarillos, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vapes, Table 1.10).

• 11% of students had ever used shisha

• shisha use was more common in older (aged 17: 20%) than younger (aged 12: 6%) students

• few students (7%) had ever smoked a cigar or cigarillo

Vaping

• 14% had ever used an e-cigarette/ vaped (Table 1.10), same as in 2014

• 27% of those who had ever vaped reported vaping in the past month

• 29% of past month users had vaped on six or more days in the past month

• ever vaping was more common among male (19%) than female (9%) students

Attitudes to smoking

• Most students described themselves as non-smokers (92%), 4% described themselves as occasional smokers, and 2% as light smokers (Table 1.11).

• Most students were certain they would not smoke in the next year (78%, Table 1.12).

Certain not to smoke in the next year

(among all students)

• 4% were undecided about future

smoking.

Current smokers’ intention to smoke

in the next year

Perceived risk of smoking

• 80% of students thought smoking more than 10 cigarettes every day was very dangerous, 5% thought this level of smoking was a little dangerous, 3% thought it was not dangerous, and 12% did not know.

• 34% of students thought smoking one

or two cigarettes occasionally was very

dangerous, 40% thought this level of

smoking was a little dangerous, 12%

thought it was not dangerous, and 14%

did not know.

10%

19%

26%

13%

Certain not tosmoke

Unlikely/veryunlikely to smoke

Likely/very likelyto smoke

Certain to smoke

92% Aged

12

65% Aged

17


Usual drink consumed by current drinkers1

Premixed spirits

Spirits

Beer

Fewer students

drank alcohol in the past month

2008 39% 2011 29% 2014 26% 2017 25%

ASSAD 2017 VICTORIA

43%

15%

4%

47%

50% 12 yo

86% 17 yo

Ever drank alcohol

1 in 8 16-17 year olds drank at

risky levels

Around 1 in 7

drank in the past week

67%

ever drank alcohol

Alcohol use among Victorian Secondary Students

Current drinkers1

4% aged 16-17 bought alcohol themselves

48% obtained from

parents

37% drank at a party

33% drank at home

2 in 3 experienced at

least 1 negative outcome after drinking

Trends in drinking 2011-2017

29%

17%

26%

15%

25%

14%

past month drinking past week drinking

2011

2014

2017

1 Students who had consumed alcohol in the past week were defined as current drinkers.


Alcohol use

The prevalence of alcohol use among Victorian secondary school students in 2017 indicates the continued importance of alcohol consumption in adolescent cultures (Table 2.1), despite recent declines in use.

Had not had even a sip of alcohol

• 33% of students had never tried alcohol

• drinking increased with age

• under half (44%) of all students had consumed alcohol in the past year, 25% in the past month

•

39%

29%

Current drinking among students aged 17

Age and sex differences in drinking

Drinking in all recency periods increased with age. Risky drinking (consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion in the past week) ranged from 0% of 12 year olds to 14% of 17 year olds.

There were some sex differences in drinking behaviours:

• drinking in the past year was more common among male (29%) than female (20%) students aged 13 years

• past week drinking was more common among male (4%) than female (<1%) students aged 12

• past week drinking was more common

among male (39%) than female students aged 17 (29%)

• on average, male current drinkers drank a higher number of alcoholic drinks in the past week (7 drinks) than females (5 drinks, Table 2.2)

• male current drinkers (41%) were more likely than females (30%) to have consumed alcohol at risky levels in the past week (Table 2.2)

Drinking trends

Students aged 12-17

Drinking trends among younger students

Current drinking among younger students declined through the 1980s but increased again during the 1990s to peak at 29% in 1999 (Figure 2.1). From 2002, current drinking again declined, and was significantly lower in 2017 (7%) than in 2011 (11%, Table 2.3).

• risky drinking did not change over the period 2011-2017

• lifetime and past month drinking were lower in 2017 than in 2011

Drinking trends among older students

Current drinking among older students increased in the late 1980s before declining in the early 1990s, then peaked again at 55% in 2002 (Figure 2.1). From 2005, current drinking again declined, and in 2017 was at 29%.

• past month and current drinking were at lowest recorded levels in 2017 (Table 2.3)

29%

17%

26%

15%

25%

14%

past month drinking past week drinking

2011

2014

2017

50%

Aged 12

14%

Aged 17


Figure 2.1: Percentage of Victorian secondary students who drank alcohol, 1984-2017

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Current and risky drinking

Current drinkers, 16-17 years

Risky drinkers, 16-17 years

Current drinkers, 12-15 years

Risky drinkers, 12-15 years

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Past month drinking

Past month drinkers, 16-17 years

Past month drinkers, 12-15 years

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Past year and lifetime drinking

Ever drank, 16-17 years

Past year drinkers, 16-17 years

Ever drank, 12-15 years

Past year drinkers, 12-15 years


Regional differences in drinking

Students in regional areas were more likely to drink (lifetime, past year, past month, past week, and risky drinking) than those living in greater metropolitan Melbourne (Table 2.4).

Types of alcohol

Usual drink consumed

by current drinkers aged 12-17

Premixed spirits were the most common drink consumed by current drinkers and were more popular among female (57%) than male (31%) students (Table 2.5). A similar pattern was evident for spirits (female: 21%; male 11%) at all ages. Few students reported consuming cider (3%), wine (3%), and alcoholic energy drinks (3%).

Where students drink

Students most commonly drank at a party, at home, or at a friend’s home (Table 2.6).

Location of last alcoholic drink by current drinkers aged 12-17

• younger current drinkers were more likely to drink at home than older current drinkers

• older current drinkers were more likely to have had their last alcoholic drink at a party or a friend’s house

Sources of alcohol and supervision

• after parents, current drinkers most commonly obtained alcohol from a friend over 18 (17%), or got someone else to buy it for them (11%, Table 2.7)

• of students who got someone else to buy alcohol for them, around half asked a friend over 18 to make the purchase

• only 4% of current drinkers had bought their last alcoholic drink themselves

Most current drinkers (65%) were supervised by an adult when last drinking (Table 2.8).

Student perceptions of their own drinking behaviour

Over 70% of all students saw themselves as non-drinkers (Table 2.9).

• older students commonly saw themselves as occasional or party drinkers: 25% of 17 year olds described themselves as occasional drinkers, and 31% as party drinkers

• female students (14%) were more likely to identify as party drinkers than males (10%)

43%

15%

47%

4%

3%

Premixed spirits

Spirits

Beer (males)

Beer (females)

Alcoholic cider

37%33%

13%

Party Home Friend's place

48% current drinkers

aged 12-17 obtained their last

alcoholic drink from parents

2 out of 3 current drinkers

were supervised


Alcohol-related incidents and harm

Drinking with the intention to get drunk was more common at older ages, with 44% of older current drinkers intending to get drunk most times, compared with 28% of younger current drinkers (Table 2.10).

Older students (74%) were more likely than younger students (59%) to experience at least one negative outcome after drinking (Table 2.11).

• 50% of older students and 31% of younger students had vomited

• 1 in 3 did something they later regretted, with older students more likely than younger students to report this negative outcome

• female students (41%) were more likely than male students (32%) to try smoking, and older students (42%) were more likely than younger students (26%) to try smoking

• older students were more likely than younger students to try drugs, lose something, and to cause damage to property

• male students were more likely than female students to hit someone or have a fight, and to cause damage to property

• among younger students, females (70%) were more likely than males (50%) to experience at least one negative outcome

Attitudes to drinking

• 83% of students agreed that ‘you can have a good time at a party where there is no alcohol’

• less than one in five students (17%) agreed that ‘having a few drinks is one of the best ways to forget any problems’

69%

of current drinkers experienced at least

one negative outcome after drinking

in the past year


ASSAD 2017 VICTORIA

Use of Over-the counter Drugs & Other Substances among Victorian secondary students

48% past year

users

92% past year

users

Tranquiliser use has increased since 2011

2011 15% 2014 17%

2017 18%

64% of past year users

obtained from parents

Used analgesics for headache or migraine pain

Analgesics provided by

parents

Tranquilisers

used by 1 in 6

for non-medical reasons

Analgesics

95% ever used

Use higher among female than male students

>

Cannabis

15% ever used

4% past week Use increased with age

Cannabis commonly used by past year users in a bong or joint ▪ At a friend’s

home – 36%

▪ At a party – 24% ▪ In a park – 16%

Past month use Inhalants

Ecstasy

Methamphetamine Cocaine Hallucinogens

Ever used Performance enhancing drugs Ketamine GHB Heroin

Trends Cannabis use in 2017 was similar to that found in 2014 and 2011 Ecstasy use in 2017 had increased compared to 2011 and 2014 Increase in reported use of inhalants among older students from 2011 to 2017

8%

1%

1%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

2%


Analgesics

• nearly 2 in 3 students used analgesics in the past month (Table 3.1)

• 27% of 12 year olds and up to 45% of 17 year olds used analgesics in the past week

• use was more common among female than male students

Trends in analgesic use

Since 2011, there was an overall decline in past month analgesic use (from 71% to 65%), and a decline in past week use among males only (35% in 2011 to 29% in 2017, Table 3.2). There was a slight decrease in lifetime analgesic use among females between 2014 (98%) and 2017 (97%).

Regular use

Analgesics were most commonly used for headache, or cold or ‘flu symptoms (Table 3.3). More male than female students reported using analgesics for headaches or migraines, cold or ‘flu symptoms, and to relieve sports injury pain. 25% of female students reported using analgesics mainly for menstrual pain.

Of students who had used analgesics in the past year:

• 92% obtained from parents (Table 3.4)

Of students who had used analgesics in the past week:

• 73% of male students used them only once or twice, and 17% 3–5 times

• 68% of female students had used them once or twice, and 21% 3–5 times

Tranquilisers

18% of students reported using tranquilisers for non-medical reasons in their lifetime (Table 3.5)

• past month use was low and peaked at 6% among students aged 15

• 3% of students had used tranquilisers in the past week

Frequency of use

Among past year users, more than half (56%) had used them only once or twice, while 19% used them 3–5 times, and 26% had used them six or more times.

Sources of tranquilisers

Of students who had used tranquilisers in the past year:

• 64% obtained from parents

• 19% prescribed

• 7% given by someone else (Table 3.6)

We asked students about their non-medical use of tranquilisers, therefore students who reported using prescribed tranquilisers could have misunderstood the question (and reported medical use), rather than reporting non-medical use of prescribed drugs.

Trends in tranquiliser use

Lifetime tranquiliser use increased from 15% in 2011 to 18% in 2017. Among younger female students, there was also a slight increase in past month use (4% in 2011 to 5% in 2017) and past week use (2% in 2011 to 3% in 2017, Table 3.7).

95%

ever used analgesics

Regular use of tranquilisers

was uncommon


Cannabis

Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit substance, especially among older students. Past week use was higher among older male than female students (Table 3.8).

• 15% had ever used cannabis

• cannabis use increased with age

• 7% used cannabis in the past month

• 4% had used cannabis in the past week (1% of 12-13 year olds; 8% of 17 year olds)

Past month cannabis use

How students used cannabis

Among students who had used cannabis in the past year, smoking a joint was the most common method (41% male; 56% female). Bongs were also commonly used (54% male; 40% female).

• most students used cannabis with others (81% male; 83% female)

• only 4% of male and 2% of female students usually used cannabis by themselves

Common places students reported using cannabis included:

• at a friend’s place (30% male; 40% female)

• a party (23% male; 26% female)

• at home (15% male; 13% female)

• at a park (19% male; 14% female)

Trends in cannabis use

Cannabis use among both younger and older students in 2017 did not differ significantly from that observed in 2011 or 2014 (Table 3.9).

Regular cannabis use

Of the 13% of students using cannabis in the previous year:

• 31% of male and 35% of female students had used it only once or twice

• 40% of male students and 26% of female students used it at least 10 times

Attitudes to cannabis use

56% of students viewed regular use of cannabis as very dangerous, 17% as a little dangerous, 12% as not dangerous, and 15% did not know.

16%

Aged 17

1%

Aged 12

73%

believe regular cannabis use is

dangerous


Inhalants

18% of all students had ever deliberately sniffed inhalants (14% past year; 8% past month; 5% past week, Table 3.10).

Typical for inhalants, reported use was generally slightly lower at older ages, though the age difference was smaller than in previous survey years.

• use peaked among 14 year olds (lifetime 23%; past year: 18%; past month: 11%; past week: 6%)

• there were no significant gender differences in inhalant use

Used inhalants only once or twice

among past year users

More than a quarter of past year inhalant users had used them 3–5 times, and 1 in 5 past year users reported more regular use (ten or more times).

Trends in inhalant use

Levels of inhalant use in the lifetime, past year or past week were not significantly higher than in 2014 or 2011 across all ages, however among males, past month use increased slightly since 2014 (Table 3.11).

Attitudes to inhalant use

45% of students believed deliberately inhaling substances was very dangerous, 29% believed it to be a little dangerous, 7% believed it was not dangerous, and 19% did not know.

Hallucinogens

Only 3% of students had ever tried hallucinogens such as LSD (Table 3.12).

Ever use was higher with age (1% 12 years; 8% 17 years). In the past year, 2% of all students had used hallucinogens at some time, with 1% having used in the past month.

Ever use was slightly higher among male than female students. The prevalence of hallucinogen use among secondary students has been relatively consistent across survey periods from 2011 (Table 3.13).

Around half of all students believed using hallucinogens once or twice would be very dangerous for them (52%). Only 4% of students believed this level of use would not be dangerous.

Amphetamines

In 2017, use was considered separately for dexamphetamine and methamphetamine for the first time. In previous survey years students were asked about amphetamine use overall. Therefore, direct comparisons with previous survey years are inadvisable.

Most students had never tried dexamphetamine (99%) or methamphetamine (98%, Tables 3.14 & 3.15).

Past month use of amphetamines was low (<1% dexamphetamines; 1% methamphetamines).

• 59% of students believed occasional use of amphetamines (speed) would be very dangerous; 16% a little dangerous

• 71% of students believed occasional use of methamphetamines (ice) would be very dangerous; 9% a little dangerous

44%

female

33%

male


Opiates

In 2017, use was considered separately for heroin and other opiates for the first time. Therefore, direct comparisons with the combined prevalence of heroin and other opiates from previous survey years are inadvisable.

1% reported ever using heroin and 5% reported ever using other opiates for non-medical reasons (Table 3.16). Males (6%) were more likely to have reported ever use of other opiates than females (4%).

• 77% believed it was very dangerous to use heroin or other opiates regularly

• 67% believed using heroin or other opiates once or twice would be very dangerous

Cocaine

Most secondary school students had never tried cocaine (lifetime, 1%; past year, 1%; past month 1%, Table 3.17).

Patterns of use have not changed significantly over time since 2011 (Table 3.18).

Most students believed using cocaine was dangerous (very dangerous, 73%; a little dangerous, 9%).

MDMA (ecstasy)

4% of students had ever used MDMA (ecstasy), with no sex differences (Table 3.19). Use of MDMA increased with age.

• past month use peaked at 4% among 17 year olds

• past month use was very low among students aged 12 to 13 (<1%) with just 1-2% having used in the past year

• lifetime and past month use of MDMA among all students was higher in 2017 than 2011 and 2014 (Table 3.20)

• 62% of students believed occasional use of ecstasy would be very dangerous, and 69% agreed that regular use of ecstasy would be very dangerous

Performance enhancing drugs (steroids)

Student use of performance enhancing drugs (i.e., steroids) without a doctor’s prescription was very low (ever use, 2%), with no age differences in any category of use (Table 3.21). Past month use was slightly higher for male than female students.

Ketamine

Very few secondary students had ever used ketamine (2%), with less than 1% having used in the past month (Table 3.22).

GHB

Only 1% of students had ever used GHB and less than 1% had used GHB in the past month (Table 3.23). Overall, GHB use did not change significantly between 2011 and 2017, however there was a slight decrease in lifetime use among females (Table 3.24).

Most students believed it would be very dangerous to use GHB occasionally (59%), with 11% believing it would be a little dangerous.


Additional findings about substance use among Victorian secondary students

Mixing drugs

Patterns of concurrent substance use (i.e., using more than one substance on a single occasion) typically differ between students who used tranquilisers and those who used cannabis, amphetamines, hallucinogens, or ecstasy (Table 3.25).

Used with tranquilisers

• 66% of students who had used tranquilisers in the past year had not used another substance on the same occasion

• analgesics were the most common substance used on the same occasion as tranquilisers in the past year (19%), suggesting concurrent use for illness or injury

• 11-16% of past year tranquiliser users had used alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis on the same occasion, suggesting non-medicinal, unsupervised use

Used with other illicit drugs

Alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco were the substances most commonly used on the same occasion as amphetamines, hallucinogens, and ecstasy (Table 3.25). Cannabis users most commonly also used alcohol and tobacco on the same occasion.

Attitudes to mixing drugs

Most students (79%) believed it to be very dangerous to mix a number of drugs, such as alcohol, cannabis and pills.

Most commonly used substances

Lifetime use indicates experience with a substance (even if no longer used). Past month use indicates likely current access to a substance and recent use.

Across all ages the most commonly used substances were those that were legally available, even if only to adults (i.e., alcohol and tobacco)

• analgesics were the most widely used substance

• alcohol use was common at all ages, and use increased with age

• tranquilisers and tobacco were the next most commonly used substances, with smoking higher with age

Use of illicit substances other than cannabis was rare among all students.

• among 16 and 17 year olds, cannabis was most widely used

• among younger students, inhalant use was most common

79%

believe mixing drugs is very dangerous


Tables

Tobacco use among Victorian secondary students

Table 1.1 Smoking among Victorian secondary students by recency, age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12 13 14 15 16 17 12–17

(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

Never smoked

Male 94 95 88 81 74 64 84

Female 97 96 87 77 70 67 82

Total 95 96 88 79 72 66 83

Past year

Male 4 3 7 15 21 26 12

Female 1 3 10 18 24 28 14

Total 2 3 9 16 23 27 13

Past month

Male 1 1 4 8 13 14 6

Female 1 2 6 7 13 18 7

Total 1 1 5 8 13 16 7

Current smokers (smoked in past seven days)

Male 1 1 3 6 8 9 4

Female 1 1 4 5 7 9 4

Total 1 1 3 5 7 9 4

Committed smokers (smoked on 3+ days in past seven days)

Male 0 1 1 4 4 4 2

Female 0 <1 2 3 4 3 2

Total 0 <1 2 4 4 4 2

More than 100 cigarettes in lifetime

Male 0 <1 1 4 5 7 3

Female 0 <1 1 2 4 4 2

Total 0 <1 1 3 4 5 2

Estimated number of current smokers^

Male 516 313 1,105 1,954 2,597 2,244 8,728

Female 171 343 1,216 1,605 2,310 2,779 8,424

Total 687 656 2,320 3,559 4,907 5,023 17,152

Prevalence estimates are within ±7% of population values.

^ Estimated number of current smokers is extrapolated from survey findings to population of 12-17 year old students enrolled in schools across Victoria.


Table 1.2 Smoking among Victorian secondary students by survey year, recency, age group, and sex, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12–15 16-17 12-17

Recency period

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 19** 11 11 39* 33 30 25** 18 16

Female 17** 12 11 44** 44** 32 26** 22** 18

Total 18** 11 11 41** 39** 31 25** 20 17

Smoked more than 100 cigarettes in lifetime

Male 2 1 1 7 7 5 3 3 3

Female 2* 1 1 10** 6 4 5** 3 2

Total 2 1 1 8** 7 5 4** 3 2

Past month

Male 5 3 4 16 14 13 9* 7 6

Female 7** 5 4 19 18 15 11** 9 7

Total 6** 4 4 17 16 14 10** 8 7

Current smokers (smoked in past seven days)

Male 4 3 3 13* 10 8 7* 5 4

Female 5** 4 2 14** 11 8 8** 6* 4

Total 4** 3 3 14** 11 8 7** 6 4

Committed smokers (smoked on 3+ days in past seven days)

Male 2 2 1 7 6 4 3 3 2

Female 3* 2 1 9** 6 3 5** 3 2

Total 2* 2 1 8** 6 4 4** 3 2

Smoked daily in past seven days

Male 1 <1* 1 4* 3 2 2* 1 1

Female 1 <1 1 4** 3 2 2* 1 1

Total 1 <1* 1 4** 3 2 2** 1 1

** Significantly different from 2017 at p<0.01; * Significantly different from 2017 at p<0.05.


Table 1.3 Smoking behavior of secondary students in Victoria who smoked in the week before the survey (current smokers) by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Smoking behaviour

Smoked on one day 35 34 34

Smoked on 3+ days 50 51 51

Daily smokers 24 26 25

Average no. of cigarettes smoked in past week^

M

(se)Ŧ

M

(se)Ŧ

M

(se)Ŧ

21

(3.7) ‡ 13

(1.8) ‡ 17

(2.0) ‡

‡(s.e.) Standard error.

^ Students indicating they had smoked more than 40 cigarettes on any one day of the past seven days were excluded from analysis. Average number of cigarettes smoked in past seven days is based on unweighted data.

Table 1.4 Usual cigarette brand smoked by current smokers#† among secondary students in Victoria, by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Brand

JPS 22 28 25

Winfield 19 7 12

Bond St 8 11 9

Peter Jackson 2 9 5

Rothmans 2 8 5

Just Smokes 5 5 5

Marlboro 9 1 5

Champion 3 4 4

Longbeach 4 0 2

Choice 2 1 2

# Current smokers: students who smoked on any of the past seven days.

† Current smokers reporting more than one brand excluded from analyses. Percentages do not add to 100 as only the most commonly mentioned brands are listed.


Table 1.5 Pack size of last cigarette used by current smokers#† among Victorian secondary students by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Pack size

20 27 35 31

22 2 0 1

23 1 0 1

25 5 11 8

26 6 4 5

30 16 15 16

35 0 2 1

40 18 18 18

50 7 6 7


† Current smokers reporting more than one pack size excluded from analyses.

Table 1.6 Use of flavour capsule cigarettes or roll-your-own tobacco by past-month smokers among Victorian secondary students by sex, ASSAD 2017

Past-month smokers

(%)

Any use of flavour capsule cigarettes

Male 54

Female 43

Total 48

Any use of roll-your-own tobacco

Male 70

Female 71

Total 70

Table 1.7 Source of last cigarette (buy vs. did not buy) for current smokers#† among Victorian secondary students by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Source of last cigarette

Did not buy cigarettes 84 85 84

Bought cigarettes 16 15 16


† Current smokers indicating more than one cigarette source excluded from analyses.


Table 1.8 Source of last cigarette for current smokers#† among Victorian secondary students by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Did not buy

Parents 5 11 8

Siblings 2 7 5

Took from home 10 11 11

Friend under 18 30 19 24

Friend over 18 17 24 20

Someone bought it 10 11 11

Bought from

Milk bar 2 6 4

Tobacconist 5 3 4

Convenience store 4 2 3

Petrol station 3 2 3

Supermarket 0 1 1


† Current smokers indicating more than one cigarette source excluded from analyses. Percentages do not add to 100 as only the most frequent responses are listed.

Table 1.9 Lifetime experience and current use of tobacco among Victorian secondary students by residential area (Greater Metropolitan Melbourne; Regional/Rural) and age group, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Recency

Never smoked 92 83 71 65 86 77

Smoked in past year 5 12 23 28 10 18

Smoked in past month 3 6 13 16 6 10

Current smokers 2 4 7 10 3 6

Committed smokers 1 3 4 4 2 3


Table 1.10 Ever use of shisha or waterpipe tobacco, cigars or cigarillos, or e-cigarettes, among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Shisha/waterpipe tobacco

Male 9 6 8 18 19 24 13

Female 2 2 5 10 13 17 8

Total 6 4 7 14 16 20 11

Cigars/cigarillos

Male 3 2 5 12 15 16 8

Female 1 2 7 10 11 8 6

Total 2 2 6 11 13 11 7

Electronic cigarettes

Male 9 9 16 26 31 27 19

Female 2 3 10 13 13 15 9

Total 5 6 13 19 22 20 14


Table 1.11 Self-described smoking status among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Heavy smoker

Male 1 <1 <1 3 2 2 1

Female 0 <1 1 1 1 2 1

Total <1 <1 1 2 1 2 1

Light smoker

Male 0 <1 1 1 3 3 1

Female 0 1 2 2 2 3 2

Total 0 <1 2 2 3 3 2

Occasional smoker

Male 2 <1 3 5 7 9 4

Female 0 1 3 5 9 9 4

Total 1 1 3 5 8 9 4

Ex-smoker

Male <1 <1 1 2 2 2 1

Female 1 <1 1 2 1 2 1

Total 1 <1 1 2 2 2 1

Non-smoker

Male 97 99 94 89 86 84 92

Female 99 98 93 90 86 85 92

Total 98 98 94 89 86 84 92


Table 1.12 Intention to smoke in the next year among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Certain not to smoke

Male 92 90 82 72 70 69 80

Female 91 88 80 72 66 63 77

Total 92 89 81 72 68 65 78

Unlikely/very unlikely to smoke

Male 6 8 14 19 20 17 14

Female 8 9 14 14 21 24 15

Total 7 9 14 17 21 21 14

Undecided

Male 1 1 2 4 5 8 3

Female 1 1 4 10 9 8 6

Total 1 1 3 7 7 8 4

Likely/very likely to smoke

Male 1 <1 1 3 4 5 2

Female 0 1 1 2 3 4 2

Total <1 1 1 3 3 4 2

Certain to smoke

Male <1 <1 1 1 1 1 1

Female 0 0 1 1 1 2 1

Total <1 <1 1 1 1 1 1


Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students

Table 2.1 Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used alcohol

Male 45 44 35 34 18 14 33

Female 56 51 39 28 14 13 34

Total 50 48 37 31 16 14 33

Past year

Male 16 29 36 48 65 75 43

Female 16 20 38 55 74 75 46

Total 16 24 37 51 69 75 44

Past month

Male 6 10 18 26 44 57 25

Female 4 7 16 29 47 51 25

Total 5 9 17 28 46 53 25

Current drinker (consumed alcohol in past seven days)

Male 4 4 8 14 26 39 15

Female <1 3 10 13 24 29 13

Total 2 4 9 14 25 33 14

Single occasion risky drinker (drank five or more drinks on one day in past seven days)

Male 0 <1 3 5 15 18 6

Female 0 <1 2 4 7 11 4

Total 0 <1 2 5 11 14 5


Table 2.2 Mean number of drinks consumed in the past week and risky drinking in the past week by past week drinkers (current drinkers) among Victorian secondary students by sex, ASSAD 2017

Male Female Total

Mean number of drinks consumed in past seven days^

M

(se)Ŧ

M

(se)Ŧ

M

(se)Ŧ

7

(0.5)

5

(0.3)

5

(0.3)

Current drinkers that drank five or more drinks on one occasion in past seven days

(%) (%) (%)

41 30 36

^ Means are based on unweighted data. Students indicating they consumed more than 20 drinks on any one day excluded from analyses.

‡ (se) Standard error.


Table 2.3 Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students by survey year, age group, sex, and recency^, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 72** 61 61 87 84 83 77** 68 67

Female 67** 58 57 91 87 86 75** 67 66

Total 70** 60 59 89 85 85 76** 68 67

Past month

Male 20* 13 15 50 47 49 29 24 25

Female 16 15 14 57 54 49 29* 27 25

Total 18* 14 15 54 51 49 29* 26 25

Current drinkers (drank alcohol in past seven days)

Male 12** 7 8 31 29 31 18 14 15

Female 9* 7 7 31 35* 26 16* 16* 13

Total 11** 7 7 31 32 29 17* 15 14

Drank five or more drinks on one occasion in the past week (all students)

Male 3 2 2 17 14 16 7 5 6

Female 2 1 1 14* 11 9 6* 4 4

Total 3 1 2 16 12 12 7 5 5

Drank five or more drinks on one occasion in the past week (current drinkers)

Male 25 24 24 57 48 51 42 40 41

Female 23 18 22 47* 32 34 37* 27 30

Total 24 21 23 51 39 43 40 33 36


^ 2009 NHMRC drinking guidelines recommend abstaining from alcohol consumption as the safest option for young people under the age of 18. Therefore, the proportions of students who report having consumed an alcoholic drink in their lifetime or in any recency period reflects the proportions of students who did not adhere to this guideline.


Table 2.4 Alcohol use among Victorian secondary students by residential area (Greater Metropolitan Melbourne; Regional/Rural), age group, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Metro

(%)

Regional

(%)

Recency

Never used 46 29 19 8 38 22

Past year 26 46 66 82 38 59

Past month 11 24 45 56 21 35

Current drinker 5 13 26 34 11 20

Single occasion risky drinker

1 3 10 16 4 7

Table 2.5 Usual alcoholic beverage consumed by current drinkers^†# among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Type of alcohol

Premixed spirits

23 54 36 34 58 46 31 57 43

Beer (ordinary) 52 3 31 44 4 26 47 4 27

Spirits 6 20 12 13 21 17 11 21 15

Alcoholic cider 2 3 3 2 6 4 2 5 3

Wine 6 10 8 1 1 1 3 3 3

Alcoholic energy drinks

3 2 2 0 6 3 1 5 3

^ Current drinkers: students who drank on any of the past seven days.

† Percentages exclude responses from students who gave more than one type of drink.

# Percentages do not add to 100% as only the most common beverage types shown.


Table 2.6 Location of last alcoholic drink by current drinkers^†# among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Male

%

Female

%

Total

%

Male

%

Female

%

Total

%

Male

%

Female

%

Total

%

Location

Party 20 32 25 43 42 43 35 38 37

At home 45 43 44 27 25 26 34 31 33

Friend’s house

8 9 9 11 21 16 10 17 13

^ Current drinkers: students who drank on any of the past seven days.

† Percentages exclude responses from students who reported multiple drinking locations.

# Additional drinking places were included in the survey. As only the most common places are shown, percentages do not add to 100%.

Table 2.7 Source of last-consumed alcoholic drink for current drinkers^#† among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Did not buy

Parents 44 40 42 52 50 51 49 47 48

Siblings 13 7 10 5 8 6 8 7 8

Took from home

8 9 9 1 2 2 4 5 4

Friend under 18

6 14 10 7 4 6 7 7 7

Friend over 18

14 13 13 20 20 20 18 17 17

Bought by someone else

8 14 11 10 12 11 9 12 11

Purchased

Liquor store, supermarket, or bottle shop

3 0 1 4 2 3 3 1 2

Bar, Pub, or RSL

1 1

1 <1 1 1 1 1 1

^ Current drinkers: students who drank in the past week.

# We show only the most common sources of those in the survey, so percentages do not add to 100%.

† Percentages exclude responses from students who gave more than one source of alcohol.


Table 2.8 Adult supervision of last alcoholic drink for current drinkers^† among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15

(%)

16-17

(%)

12-17

(%)

Sex

Male 61 71 67

Female 63 63 63

Total 62 67 65


† Percentages exclude responses from students who reported multiple drinking locations.

Table 2.9 Self-described drinking behaviour among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Non-drinker

Male 94 91 83 70 49 36 73

Female 96 94 82 63 45 39 70

Total 95 92 83 66 47 38 71

Occasional drinker

Male 4 7 10 15 21 29 14

Female 3 4 11 19 20 22 13

Total 4 5 11 17 20 25 13

Light drinker

Male 1 1 2 3 4 4 2

Female 0 1 2 3 4 6 3

Total <1 1 2 3 4 5 2

Party drinker

Male 1 1 3 10 24 28 10

Female 1 1 5 15 31 33 14

Total 1 1 4 12 28 31 12

Heavy drinker

Male 0 1 1 2 2 3 1

Female 0 <1 <1 <1 <1 1 <1

Total 0 <1 1 1 1 1 1


Table 2.10 Intention to get drunk when consuming alcohol in current drinkers^ among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Intention to get drunk

Never 30 28 29 13 25 19 19 26 22

A few times/ sometimes

43 44 43 45 29 37 44 34 39

Most times/ every time

27 28 28 42 46 44 37 40 38



Table 2.11 Main negative outcomes experienced after drinking alcohol in the past year by current drinkers^ among Victorian secondary students by age group and sex, ASSAD 2017 (multiple responses allowed)

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Male

(%)

Female

(%)

Total

(%)

Negative outcome

Been sick (vomited)

25 38 31 50 50 50 41 46 43

Had a cigarette or tried smoking

18 35 26 40 45 42 32 41 36

Done something you later regretted

12 34 23 38 39 38 29 37 33

Had an argument

12 31 21 27 26 27 22 28 25

Lost something 9 23 16 27 26 27 21 25 23

Tried any drugs 12 19 16 29 23 26 23 22 22

Missed school or work

15 14 14 12 11 12 13 12 13

Verbally abused someone

8 10 9 13 11 12 11 10 11

Caused damage to property

4 5 4 16 3 10 12 4 8

Hit someone or had a fight

8 5 6 10 4 7 9 4 7

Total Number of Negative Outcomes#

None 50 30 41 22 30 26 32 30 31

One 20 21 20 17 11 15 18 15 17

Two 6 10 8 17 15 16 13 14 13

Three or more 24 39 31 44 43 44 37 41 39


# Includes responses to all negative outcomes listed in the survey, not just the main ones listed above. Includes multiple responses.


Use of over-the-counter drugs & other substances among Victorian secondary students

Table 3.1 Analgesic use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 7 6 7 9 4 6 6

Female 5 4 5 2 2 3 3

Total 6 5 6 5 3 4 5

Ever used

Male 93 94 93 91 96 94 94

Female 95 96 95 98 98 97 97

Total 94 95 94 95 97 96 95

Past year

Male 90 91 88 86 89 90 89

Female 91 93 93 97 97 94 94

Total 90 92 90 91 93 92 91

Past month

Male 44 54 57 61 61 59 56

Female 62 68 72 78 84 79 74

Total 53 61 65 69 72 70 65

Past week

Male 21 27 24 35 35 32 29

Female 34 35 44 47 55 54 45

Total 27 31 34 41 45 45 37



Table 3.2 Analgesic use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 94 92 93 96 96 95 95 93 94

Female 97 98* 96 99 98 97 98 98* 97

Total 96 95 95 97 97 96 96 95 95

Past month

Male 63** 55 54 64 67* 60 64** 59 56

Female 75* 74 70 85* 80 81 78** 76 74

Total 69** 64 62 75* 74 71 71** 67 65

Past week

Male 34** 30 27 35 38 34 35** 33 29

Female 40 44 40 53 53 55 44 47 45

Total 37* 37 33 44 46 45 39 40 37



Table 3.3 Main reasons for last use of analgesics by past year users among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017^ (multiple responses allowed)

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

%

Headache/ migraine

Male 52 50 49 51 62 60 54

Female 42 40 41 39 48 46 43

Total 47 45 45 45 54 52 48

Relief of Cold/‘Flu symptoms

Male 35 27 32 35 26 26 30

Female 37 30 26 14 27 19 25

Total 36 28 29 24 26 22 28

Toothache/ Dental work pain

Male 1 3 10 5 2 4 4

Female 7 7 6 7 4 3 6

Total 4 5 8 6 3 3 5

Menstrual pain

Male N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Female 12 20 22 34 32 31 25

Total N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Pains from sport injury/strains

Male 13 14 12 15 16 18 14

Female 7 10 7 11 6 9 8

Total 10 12 9 13 11 13 11

^ Percentages may not sum to 100% as multiple responses were allowed and only the most common reasons are shown.


Table 3.4 Source of analgesics for past year users among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Parents

Male 92 95 95 94 92 95 94

Female 96 93 93 94 88 84 91

Total 94 94 94 94 90 88 92

Took from home without permission

Male 1 1 1 4 4 2 2

Female 2 2 5 3 6 4 4

Total 1 1 3 3 5 3 3

Bought it

Male 1 <1 1 1 4 3 1

Female 1 1 1 3 5 7 3

Total 1 1 1 2 4 6 2

Friends

Male 0 0 1 1 2 2 1

Female 0 1 1 0 1 3 1

Total 0 1 1 1 1 2 1


Table 3.5 Tranquiliser use (for non-medical reasons) among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 83 80 85 83 82 80 82

Female 85 86 82 81 82 80 83

Total 84 83 83 82 82 80 82

Ever used

Male 17 20 15 17 18 20 18

Female 15 14 18 19 18 20 17

Total 16 17 17 18 18 20 18

Past year

Male 13 14 10 9 14 10 12

Female 9 8 12 16 13 14 12

Total 11 11 11 13 14 12 12

Past month

Male 5 2 5 4 5 4 4

Female 4 3 6 9 5 6 5

Total 4 3 5 6 5 5 5

Past week

Male 2 2 2 2 3 1 2

Female 2 2 4 5 3 3 3

Total 2 2 3 3 3 2 3



Table 3.6 Source of tranquilisers for past year users among Victorian secondary students by age and sex, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Parents

Male 79 67 74 59 55 64 67

Female 77 68 62 61 51 61 62

Total 79 67 68 60 53 62 64

Prescribed

Male 15 31 10 22 8 16 17

Female 16 24 18 28 20 20 22

Total 15 28 14 26 15 19 19

Took from home

Male 0 0 3 0 9 3 3

Female 0 5 5 8 9 8 6

Total 0 2 4 6 9 6 5

Bought it

Male 0 0 0 0 13 9 4

Female 0 0 0 0 5 7 2

Total 0 0 0 0 9 8 3

Given to me by someone else

Male 6 0 7 13 13 7 7

Female 7 3 15 1 10 1 6

Total 6 1 11 5 11 3 7


Table 3.7 Tranquiliser use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 15 15 17 14 16 19 15 15 18

Female 14 17 17 18 20 19 15 18 17

Total 15 16 17 16 18 19 15* 17 18

Past month

Male 3 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4

Female 4* 4 5 6 6 5 4 5 5

Total 4 4 5 4 5 5 4 4 5

Past week

Male 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2

Female 2* 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3

Total 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3



Table 3.8 Cannabis use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 95 96 92 81 75 60 85

Female 99 96 92 84 73 72 86

Total 97 96 92 82 74 67 85

Ever used

Male 5 4 8 19 25 40 15

Female 1 4 8 16 27 28 14

Total 3 4 8 18 26 33 15

Past year

Male 3 2 7 15 22 36 13

Female 1 3 8 15 25 27 13

Total 2 3 7 15 23 31 13

Past month

Male 2 2 3 9 14 18 7

Female 0 1 5 7 13 15 7

Total 1 1 4 8 14 16 7

Past week

Male 1 1 1 7 9 12 5

Female 0 <1 4 4 5 5 3

Total 1 1 2 5 7 8 4



Table 3.9 Cannabis use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 10 7 9 25 29 31 14 14 15

Female 9 7 7 23 26 28 14 13 14

Total 9 7 8 24 27 29 14 14 15

Past month

Male 4 3 4 14 14 16 7 7 7

Female 4 3 3 10 10 14 6 5 7

Total 4 3 4 12 12 15 7 6 7

Past week

Male 2 2 2 8 8 10 4 4 5

Female 2 2 2 6 4 5 3 2 3

Total 2 2 2 7 6 7 4 3 4



Table 3.10 Inhalant use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 77 82 77 81 85 82 81

Female 86 79 78 83 83 87 82

Total 81 81 77 82 84 85 82

Ever used

Male 23 18 23 19 15 18 19

Female 14 21 22 17 17 13 18

Total 19 19 23 18 16 15 18

Past year

Male 17 10 18 14 11 12 14

Female 12 18 17 15 11 8 14

Total 15 14 18 14 11 10 14

Past month

Male 11 6 11 9 5 6 8

Female 7 10 10 8 6 6 8

Total 9 8 11 8 6 6 8

Past week

Male 7 5 6 5 3 5 5

Female 5 6 6 5 3 3 4

Total 6 5 6 5 3 4 5



Table 3.11 Inhalant use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 19 19 21 12 11* 16 17 16 19

Female 20 20 19 12 13 15 17 18 18

Total 19 19 20 12* 12 16 17 17 18

Past month

Male 8 7 9 4 3 5 7 6* 8

Female 10 9 9 5 6 6 8 8 8

Total 9 8 9 4 4 6 7 7 8

Past week

Male 5 5 6 3 2 4 4 4 5

Female 6 5 5 3 2 3 5 4 4

Total 6 5 5 3 2 3 5 4 5



Table 3.12 Use of hallucinogens among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 99 99 98 96 94 88 96

Female 99 99 98 98 96 94 97

Total 99 99 98 97 95 92 97

Ever used

Male 1 1 2 4 6 12 4

Female 1 1 2 2 4 6 3

Total 1 1 2 3 5 8 3

Past year

Male 0 1 1 3 5 8 3

Female 1 <1 2 2 4 5 2

Total <1 <1 1 3 4 7 2

Past month

Male 0 <1 1 2 2 4 1

Female 0 0 1 1 1 2 1

Total 0 <1 1 1 2 3 1


Table 3.13 Hallucinogen use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 2 1 2 7 6 8 4 3 4

Female 1 1 1 6 4 5 3 2 3

Total 2 1 2 7 5 7 3 2 3

Past month

Male 1 1 1 3 2 3 1 1 1

Female <1 <1 <1 1 1 2 <1 <1 1

Total 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1



Table 3.14 Dexamphetamine use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 96 99 99 98 98 99 98

Female 99 99 99 99 99 99 99

Total 98 99 99 99 99 99 99

Ever used

Male 4 1 1 2 2 1 2

Female 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Total 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Past year

Male 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Female 1 <1 1 1 1 1 1

Total 1 <1 1 1 1 1 1

Past month

Male 1 <1 <1 <1 1 1 1

Female 0 <1 1 0 <1 <1 <1

Total <1 <1 1 <1 1 1 <1



Table 3.15 Methamphetamine use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 99 99 99 99 96 95 98

Female 99 99 99 98 99 98 99

Total 99 99 99 98 98 97 98

Ever used

Male 1 1 1 1 4 5 2

Female 1 1 1 2 1 2 1

Total 1 1 1 2 2 3 2

Past year

Male 1 1 1 1 3 3 2

Female 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Total 1 1 1 1 2 2 1

Past month

Male 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

Female 1 <1 1 <1 1 1 1

Total 1 <1 1 1 1 1 1



Table 3.16 Use of heroin and other opiates (non-medical reasons) among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Heroin Never used

Male 99 99 99 99 >99 99 99

Female 100 99 99 >99 >99 99 >99

Total 99 99 99 99 >99 99 99

Ever used

Male 1 1 1 1 <1 1 1

Female 0 1 1 <1 <1 1 <1

Total 1 1 1 1 <1 1 1

Past year

Male 1 <1 <1 1 0 1 1

Female 0 <1 1 0 <1 <1 <1

Total <1 <1 1 1 <1 1 <1

Past month

Male 0 <1 <1 1 0 1 <1

Female 0 <1 <1 0 0 <1 <1

Total 0 <1 <1 1 0 1 <1

Other opiates Never used

Male 98 96 95 93 90 91 94

Female 97 98 97 96 95 95 96

Total 97 97 96 94 92 93 95

Ever used

Male 2 4 5 7 10 9 6

Female 3 2 3 4 5 5 4

Total 3 3 4 6 8 7 5

Past year

Male 2 3 3 5 8 6 4

Female 2 1 2 2 3 4 3

Total 2 2 2 4 6 5 3

Past month

Male 1 <1 1 3 3 3 2

Female 1 1 1 <1 2 3 1

Total 1 1 1 2 2 3 1



Table 3.17 Cocaine use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 99 99 99 98 98 94 98

Female 99 >99 99 98 99 98 99

Total 99 >99 99 98 98 96 99

Ever used

Male 1 1 1 2 2 6 2

Female 1 <1 1 2 1 2 1

Total 1 <1 1 2 2 4 1

Past year

Male 1 1 1 1 2 4 1

Female 1 <1 1 2 1 2 1

Total 1 <1 1 1 1 3 1

Past month

Male 1 1 <1 1 1 1 1

Female 0 <1 <1 1 <1 <1 <1

Total <1 <1 <1 1 1 1 1


Table 3.18 Cocaine use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 2 1 1 2 3 4 2 2 2

Female 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Total 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 1

Past month

Male 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Female <1 1 <1 <1 1 <1 <1 1 <1

Total <1 1 <1 1 1 1 1 1 1



Table 3.19 Ecstasy use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 98 99 97 96 91 86 95

Female 98 98 98 97 94 93 96

Total 98 98 98 96 92 90 96

Ever used

Male 2 1 3 4 9 14 5

Female 2 2 2 3 6 7 4

Total 2 2 2 4 8 10 4

Past year

Male 2 <1 2 2 8 12 4

Female 2 2 2 2 5 6 3

Total 2 1 2 2 6 8 4

Past month

Male 1 <1 1 2 4 5 2

Female 0 1 1 1 2 4 1

Total <1 <1 1 1 3 4 2


Table 3.20 Ecstasy use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 2 1 2 3** 5* 11 2** 3** 5

Female 1* 1* 3 4* 4 7 2** 2* 4

Total 1* 1** 2 3** 5* 9 2** 2** 4

Past month

Male <1 1 1 1** 3 5 1** 1 2

Female <1* <1 1 1* 2 3 <1** 1 1

Total <1* <1 1 1** 2 4 1** 1* 2



Table 3.21 Use of performance enhancing drugs without a doctor’s prescription among Victorian secondary students, by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 97 98 99 96 98 98 98

Female 99 98 98 98 99 98 98

Total 98 98 98 97 98 98 98

Ever used

Male 3 2 1 4 2 2 2

Female 1 2 2 2 1 2 2

Total 2 2 2 3 2 2 2

Past year

Male 2 1 1 2 2 2 2

Female <1 2 1 2 1 1 1

Total 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Past month

Male 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Female 0 1 1 1 <1 1 1

Total 1 1 1 1 1 1 1


Table 3.22 Ketamine use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 97 99 96 98 97 94 97

Female 99 99 99 97 97 98 98

Total 98 99 98 97 97 96 98

Ever used

Male 3 1 4 2 3 6 3

Female 1 1 1 3 3 2 2

Total 2 1 2 3 3 4 2

Past month

Male 1 0 1 1 1 1 1

Female 0 <1 0 <1 <1 1 <1

Total <1 <1 <1 1 1 1 <1



Table 3.23 GHB use among Victorian secondary students by age, sex, and recency, ASSAD 2017

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Never used

Male 99 >99 99 99 98 99 99

Female 100 >99 >99 99 >99 >99 >99

Total 99 >99 99 99 99 99 99

Ever used

Male 1 <1 1 1 2 1 1

Female 0 <1 <1 1 <1 <1 <1

Total 1 <1 1 1 1 1 1

Past month

Male 1 <1 <1 <1 <1 0 <1

Female 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 <1

Total <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1


Table 3.24 GHB use among Victorian secondary students by age group, sex, recency, and survey year, ASSAD 2011-2017

Age group in years

12-15 16-17 12-17

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

2011

(%)

2014

(%)

2017

(%)

Lifetime

Male 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Female 1 1 <1 2 1 <1 1* 1 <1

Total 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Past month

Male 1 1 <1 1 1 <1 1 1 <1

Female <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1

Total <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1



Table 3.25 Concurrent substance use in the past year among Victorian secondary students, ASSAD 2017

Substance used in the past year

Tranquilisers

(%)

Cannabis

(%)

Amphetamines

(%)

Hallucinogens

(%)

Ecstasy

(%)

Substance used on same occasion

Alcohol 16 55 40 41 51

Tobacco 13 40 41 36 41

Cannabis 11 N/A 37 44 50

Hallucinogens 3 8 7 N/A 11

Amphetamines 2 4 N/A 1 10

Ecstasy 4 10 21 20 N/A

Analgesics 19 4 6 4 8

Tranquilisers N/A 2 1 2 2

No other substance used

66 31 36 30 18

Percentages may not equal 100% as multiple responses were allowed.


Method in brief

Sample selection

We used the same methods for sampling schools and students and collecting data as previously used for the Victorian component of the ASSAD survey series. The Australian Centre for Education Research (ACER) drew a

Victorian school sample based on the most recent available enrolment data from 2016 (excluding schools with less than 100 student enrolments).

Target

population

Sampling method

All year 7-12 students in

Victoria

Stratified two-stage probability

sample

Sample of

schools for year 7-10 students

Stage 1

Stage 2

Random Selection of

schools

Random selection of

students

Sample of

schools for year 11-12 students

Sampling

We drew two school samples. School samples were stratified by education sector (government, Catholic, and independent) to reflect statewide distributions. If any school declined to participate, a school with similar characteristics to the sampled school was recruited to maintain a representative sample. The target sample for Victoria was 5,000, to be collected during the 2017 academic school year.

Sample size and final data set

During the ASSAD 2017 survey period 4,470 students from years 7 to 12 were surveyed from schools across Victoria. Schools who declined to participate cited a high number of research participation requests, school scheduling priorities, and staff time, as reasons for non-participation.

Completed questionnaires were logged by the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer at Cancer Council Victoria, before being scanned for the production of electronic data files.

Cancer Council Victoria also cleaned the 2017 ASSAD data following procedures established in previous survey years. In the final dataset, students with a large number of missing responses, or whose responses were exaggerated or largely implausible (i.e., ‘nonsense’ responses), were removed from the dataset before analysis. The final dataset included 4,450 valid cases. Of these, 4,266 were aged between 12 and 17 and provided valid sex data (Table 4.1). We excluded data from students outside this age range and who did not indicate their sex.


Procedure

School approvals We sought Principal consent to conduct the survey in each sampled school. If not granted, we aimed to recruit a school in the same geographic catchment and education sector.

Parental consent Some education bodies and schools required active parental consent for student research participation. When required, parents completed and submitted a consent form to approve their child’s participation. Without this consent, the student did not participate. Active consent requirements tended to reduce student participation due to lack of parent response.

Sample of students

We selected intact representative classes within the surveyed year levels (i.e., excluding classes based on ability or performance groupings). If Principals were not able to approve participation of classes at each year level requested, we sampled available classes.

Administration Our research staff administered the pen-and-paper survey in participating Victorian secondary schools between May and December 2017.

Teacher presence

Most students completed the survey with a teacher present (99%) following current school policies, higher than in recent survey years (93% in 2014; 82% in 2011). When present, teachers did not assist with survey administration. Research staff explained the confidentiality of responses to students before starting the survey.

Questionnaire The 15 page core survey booklet included questions about student use of licit and illicit substances in different time periods (lifetime, past year, past month, and past week) that were largely identical to those used in previous surveys (and used nationally).

The Victorian survey also included questions on attitudes to tobacco and alcohol use and perceived dangers of substance use. We also included questions that assessed students’ knowledge of health consequences of tobacco and alcohol use, and their awareness and recall of health warnings on cigarette packs. Further questions measured student awareness of alcohol advertising, and there were also questions on sun protection and gambling behaviours.

For a copy of the 2017 questionnaire, please contact the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Questions about tobacco use

Past surveys

Most questionnaire items related to tobacco use in the core questionnaire were identical to those in previous ASSAD surveys.

Recency These questions assessed lifetime use, use in the past 12 months, use in the past four weeks, and use in each of the seven days preceding the survey.

Cigarette brands

Students who had used tobacco in the past seven days were asked to indicate the brand they smoked and the usual packet size.

Source of cigarettes

Students who had used tobacco in the past seven days were asked how they got their last cigarette.

If students indicated that someone had bought their last cigarette for them, they were asked to report who this person was.

Self-perceived smoking status

Students were also asked to report whether they saw themselves as a non-smoker, ex-smoker, occasional smoker, light smoker, or heavy smoker.

Form of tobacco use

Students were asked about their use of flavour capsule cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, shisha (i.e., hookah or waterpipe tobacco), and cigars/cigarillos. In 2017, we expanded the range of questions asked about e-cigarettes and shisha tobacco.

E-cigarettes Students were asked to report their use of electronic cigarettes, including in the past month, where or from whom they got their last used e-cigarette, and whether they had ever smoked a conventional cigarette before using an e-cigarette.

Questions about alcohol use

Past surveys

We used similar questionnaire items about alcohol use as those included in previous ASSAD surveys.

Recency These questions also assessed ‘ever use’, use in the past 12 months, use in the past four weeks, and use in each day of the week before the survey.

Alcohol type

We asked students who had ever used alcohol to indicate the usual type of alcohol they had consumed (e.g., beer, wine, spirits, premixed).

Source of alcohol

Students were asked about the source of their last alcoholic drink

Drinking location

Students indicated where they had consumed this last drink.

Self-perceived drinking status

Students also completed questions about whether they saw themselves as a non-drinker, party drinker, occasional drinker, light drinker, or heavy drinker.

Adverse outcomes

As in 2014, we asked students to indicate whether any of 20 specified outcomes or events had occurred after they had consumed alcohol in the past year. These outcomes included being sick (vomiting), arguing, being in a fight, verbally abusing someone, needing to go to the hospital, and missing school.

Risky drinking

To assess ‘risky’ drinking behaviour, students were asked about their intention to get drunk when they consumed alcohol, and how many times they had consumed five or more alcoholic drinks on any one occasion in the past two weeks, four weeks, year, and lifetime (never, 1-2 times, 3-5 times, 10-19 times, 20-29 times, 40 or more times).


Questions about use of over-the-counter drugs and other substances

Past surveys

Students were asked about several categories of over-the-counter drugs and other substances in the questionnaire: cannabis, analgesics, tranquilisers, inhalants, hallucinogens, amphetamines, performance- or image-enhancing drugs, ecstasy, cocaine, and opiates.

Recency For each substance, we asked students to indicate the number of times they had used or taken the substance in the past week, past four weeks, past year, and over their lifetime (seven response categories from ‘none’ to ’40 or more times’).

Non-medicinal use

For tranquilisers, steroids, amphetamines, and opiates, we asked explicitly about non-medical use.

Source & reason for use

For analgesics, we asked students to indicate their reasons for use and how it was obtained. Students who had used tranquilisers were also asked how they were obtained.

Multiple substances

For tranquilisers, cannabis, amphetamines, hallucinogens, and ecstasy, we asked students if they had used any other substance(s) on the same occasion (including alcohol, tobacco, analgesics, tranquilisers, cannabis, amphetamines, and hallucinogens).

Alone or with others

Students who had used cannabis were asked if they had consumed it alone, with others, or both, and how it was used.


Substance definitions

We report the same substance categories as used in the ASSAD questionnaire, and follow the descriptions and examples provided to students.

Alcohol Beer, wine, wine coolers, alcoholic energy drinks, spirits, premixed spirit drinks, liqueurs or alcoholic cider.

Analgesics Painkillers/analgesics such as paracetamol (e.g., Panadol), ibuprofen (e.g., Nurofen), or aspirin/disprin.

Cannabis Marijuana/cannabis (grass, hash, dope, weed, mull, yarndi, gunja, pot, a bong, a joint).

Cocaine Cocaine.

Dexamphetamines Dexamphetamines (e.g., dex, dexies) other than for medical reasons.

Ecstasy Ecstasy (E, MDMA, pingers, pills, bickies).

Electronic cigarettes Battery operated electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).

GHB GHB (G, fantasy, grievous bodily harm (GBH), liquid ecstasy, liquid E, blue nitrate).

Hallucinogens Hallucinogens (e.g., LSD, acid, trips, magic mushrooms, datura, angel’s trumpet).

Heroin Heroin (smack, horse, skag, hammer, H).

Inhalants Deliberately sniffed (inhaled) from spray cans or deliberately sniffed things like glue, paint, petrol, thinners, nangs or poppers in order to get high or for the way it makes you feel.

Ketamine Ketamine (K, Super K, Vitamin K).

Meth/amphetamines Meth/amphetamines (e.g., speed, meth, ice).

Opiates Opiates (narcotics) such as methadone, morphine, oxycodone, codeine or pethidine other than for medical reasons.

Performance or image enhancing drugs

Steroids, muscle, roids or gear, without a doctor’s prescription in an attempt to make you better at sport, to increase muscle size or to improve your general appearance.

Shisha/waterpipe tobacco Shisha tobacco or hookah or waterpipe.

Tobacco Cigarettes.

Tranquilisers Sleeping tablets, tranquilisers, sedatives or benzodiazepines, such as Valium, alprazolam (Xanax), Mogadon, Diazepam, Temazepam (Mazzies, Vallies, Moggies, Jellies), Serepax (Serries) or Rohypnol (Rohies, Barbs), other than for medical reasons.


Categories of students who have smoked cigarettes, consumed alcohol, or used other substances

Categories of students

Tobacco use Alcohol use Other substances

Never used

Never smoked

Did not have even a puff of a cigarette

Never drank alcohol

Did not have even a sip of an alcoholic drink in their lifetime

Never used the substance

Ever used

Ever smoked.

Had smoked at least a few puffs of a cigarette in their lifetime

Ever drank alcohol.

Had consumed at least a few sips of an alcoholic drink in lifetime

Had used the substance in their lifetime

More than 100 cigarettes

Had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime

Past-year

Past year smokers had smoked in the past 12 months

Past year drinkers had consumed an alcoholic drink in the past 12 months

Had used the substance in the past year

Past-month

Past month smokers had smoked in the past four weeks

Past month drinkers had consumed an alcoholic drink in the past four weeks

Had used the substance in the four weeks before the survey date

Current, or past week

Current smokers had smoked on at least one of the seven days before the survey date (past week)

Current drinkers had consumed an alcoholic drink on at least one of the seven days before the survey date (past week)

Had used the substance in the seven days before the survey date

Committed smokers

Committed smokers had smoked on at least three days of the past week

Daily smokers

Daily smokers had smoked on every day of the week before the survey date

Single occasion risky drinkers

Had consumed five or more alcoholic drinks on any day in the past week (at risk of short-term harm, according to the 2009 NHMRC drinking guidelines for adults)

Regular use Had used the substance

10 or more times in the past year


Recency and frequency of use measures

Tobacco

We use the terms ‘smoker’ and ‘tobacco use’ to refer to cigarette use. We asked students if they had ever smoked in their lifetime, in the past year, and in the past four weeks. Students entered the number of cigarettes they had smoked on each of the seven days before the survey date. We report the prevalence of smoking within these periods by sex and age group.

Alcohol

Students were asked if they had consumed alcohol in their lifetime, in the past year, and past month. They entered the number of alcoholic drinks they consumed on each of the seven days before the survey date. Prevalence of use within these time periods is reported by sex and age group.

The 2009 NHMRC alcohol use guidelines advise the safest option for people under 18 is abstinence. We took ever having had an alcoholic drink to indicate not adhering to this guideline. NHMRC guidelines also state that adults who consume five or more drinks on any day are putting themselves at risk. While this guideline is for adults, it gives an estimate of teenage alcohol consumption at risky levels. We examined the percentage of students drinking at risky levels that could result in short-term harm.

Other substance use

We asked students how many times they had used a particular substance within specified time periods. For each substance, the prevalence of use within their lifetime, the past year, and the past month is reported by sex and age group. For more common substances (e.g., analgesics and cannabis), we also report weekly use.

For all substances, the recency of use categories overlap and are not mutually exclusive. For example, a student who reported having used a substance in the past week was also included in the estimates of use for all other time periods (i.e., past month, past year, and lifetime use).

Data Analysis

Excluded data

We excluded missing, invalid, or multiple responses from analyses for specific questions. To minimise data loss and best represent the sampled population, we included these students’ in analysis of other questions when their responses were valid.

Coding and editing of data

We checked for inconsistencies in reported substance use across time periods (lifetime, past year, past month, and past week), and invalid responses, following procedures used in previous survey years.

We aimed to maximise data retention and operated on the principle that participants’ responses about personal use in the most recent time period were accurate. We checked responses for the most recent time period to ensure they were consistent with responses for other periods. If responses for other time periods were missing, or were not consistent across time periods, we recoded responses to match the response for the most recent time period. For example, if a student indicated that they had used a substance in the past week and in the past month, but did not indicate that they had used it in the past year (i.e., responded “no” or the response was missing), the response for the past year was recoded to indicate that the substance had been used within this time period. This change was considered appropriate as using a substance in the past week and past month automatically indicates past year use. However, if a participant had not indicated past week use, but the response for past month use was missing or ‘yes’, we did not recode the responses, as past month use need not logically include past week use. For such cases, we retained the ‘missing’ response, as we could not infer whether the substance had or had not been used. If a student indicated past week, past month or past year use, but not lifetime use, we recoded the lifetime use response to indicate use with frequency unknown.

Regardless of the level of substance use reported by the student no change was made to their responses to questions about their own perceptions of their substance use behaviour. As in previous survey years, recodes on the data set were minimal.


Population weights

Data were weighted to align the sample with population distributions of 12 to 17 year old students in Victoria. Weighting adjusts for any possible bias in prevalence estimates due to disproportionate sampling of any education sector, age, or sex. We used enrolment details collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in August 2016 of students by sex, age group, and education sector, to calculate weights (Table 4.2).

Alpha levels

We interpreted and reported only associations that were statistically significant at an alpha level of .01 (p < .01) or .05 (p < .05). All discussed effects were significant, unless indicated otherwise.

Confidence intervals

Prevalence estimates for the sample are provided for information even when the 95% confidence interval (CI) is wide. For percentages or proportions, sampling error is indicated by the CI calculated for the number of students in the analysed group (e.g., 17 year old females) and the percentage reported (e.g., 20%).

For smaller sample sizes and when the estimate is close to 50%, the CI will be large and results should be interpreted more cautiously than when sample sizes are larger and estimates more extreme. The CI around an estimate of 50% for the smallest sample size (12 year old male students) is ±7%, and for the largest sample size (13 year old female students) is ±4%.

We present results for specific sub-groups (e.g., current smokers, or past-year alcohol consumers). When percentages are reported for a specific sub-group, the confidence interval is likely to be wider than for the sex and age group from which it is drawn.

Planned analyses

We examined whether the proportions of students who had used a substance in a specific recency period (i.e., past week, past month, past year, lifetime) was different in 2017 than in 2014 and 2011 (with 2017 as the reference category) using logistic regression with substance use (did not use; used) as the outcome variable. The ‘cluster’ command in Stata adjusted for data clustered by school.

We tested for differences in these patterns of use between survey years by age group (12-15 years, 16-17 years, 12-17 years) and sex. Age and sex (when relevant), and education sector, were included in logistic regression models as predictors.

Table 4.1 Number of Victorian secondary students aged between 12 and 17 years surveyed in 2017 by sex and age

Age in years

12 13 14 15 16 17 12-17

Sex

Male 172 511 335 343 328 185 1,874

Female 244 528 355 345 504 416 2,392

Total 416 1,039 690 688 832 601 4,266


Table 4.2 Number of full-time students aged 12-17 enrolled in Victorian secondary schools#, by age, education sector, and sex

Age in years

12

(%)

13

(%)

14

(%)

15

(%)

16

(%)

17

(%)

12–17

(%)

Government

Male 22,608 20,920 20,904 20,795 20,183 17,615 123,025

Female 20,206 18,780 19,054 19,055 18,536 17,385 113,016

Total 42,814 39,700 39,958 39,850 38,719 35,000 236,041

Catholic

Male 8,082 8,456 8,173 8,109 7,802 6,983 47,605

Female 8,127 8,531 8,261 8,176 7,911 7,758 48,764

Total 16,209 16,987 16,434 16,285 15,713 14,741 96,369

Independent

Male 6,009 6,815 6,676 6,399 6,516 6,398 38,813

Female 6,311 6,980 6,756 6,695 6,831 6,704 40,277

Total 12,320 13,795 13,432 13,094 13,347 13,102 79,090

Total

Male 36,699 36,191 35,753 35,303 34,501 30,996 209,443

Female 34,644 34,291 34,071 33,926 33,278 31,847 202,057

Total 71,343 70,482 69,824 69,229 67,779 62,843 411,500

# Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018) Schools, Victoria, 2017.

Documents

ASSAD 2017 Victorian Statistics & Trends: Second Edition