Teen drinking in local high schools: Renewed focus on parents to stop the increasing rates

August 17, 2017

Emily Havens, The Spectrum

August 17′ 2017

Although research shows overall youth alcohol consumption rates are on the decline both statewide and nationally, officials say pockets of youth demographics in the Southwest region of Utah are reporting slight increases.

According to Logan Reid, director of prevention and education services at the Southwest Behavioral Health Center, underage alcohol drinking rates in general have continually declined in Washington County for the last two decades.

“We have a higher rate of kids in 10th grade using alcohol than we did two years ago,” Reid said. “Overall, we’re still seeing an average level, but some of those little pockets are going up.”

Those missed demographics combined with research from the Utah Department of Human Services and the Student Health and Risk Prevention survey promoted Washington County officials to partner with Intermountain Healthcare and Parents Empowered, a statewide campaign that aims to eliminate underage drinking in Utah, to bring anti-underage drinking messages to the walls of IHC facilities and sides of school buses.

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