Exposure to drugs among pre-teenage schoolchildren.

Aims: To describe the nature and extent of exposure to drugs in a sample of pre-teenage children and to examine some of the factors that might be associated with it.

Participants And Design: A survey of 1202 10-12-year-old children based on a questionnaire administered in schools under examination-type conditions.

Findings: A third of the children reported having been exposed to drugs in the sense of either having been in situations in which they were being used or of having been offered them. While the most common drug to which they were exposed was cannabis, considerable numbers had also been exposed to more dangerous drugs. The factors which were associated most closely with exposure were drug use by friends or family members, associating with peers who engaged in antisocial activities, the child's own involvement in problem behaviours and the regular consumption of alcohol. Boys and older children were also significantly more likely to be offered drugs.

Conclusion: A large proportion of young children are exposed to illicit drugs primarily through use of these drugs by family members and peers. There is a strong association with antisocial behaviour. Attempting to influence such exposure is challenging but may be one avenue for reducing drug use in adolescents.