Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Prescription drug abuse among teenagers in Canada is a growing issue, particularly for those living in rural communities. Time spent with friends, family and in extracurricular activities may influence the risk for abusing prescription medications. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the relationships between rural adolescents' peer, family, and extracurricular time-use and risk of abusing prescription drugs. Over two-thousand rural students in grades 9 and 10 across Canada were asked in the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey (2009/2010 Cycle) about their prescription medication abuse in the past year, time outside of school hours with friends, frequency of family meals, and participation in extracurricular activities. We found that many rural teens eat dinner with their families infrequently, spend many evenings out with friends, and do not participate in extracurricular activities. Spending most afternoons and evenings out with friends as compared to few, was associated with an increase in prescription drug abuse. Nonparticipation in extracurricular activities was also a central risk factor for prescription drug abuse. Results support interventions aimed at increasing structured time-use opportunities, including extracurricular options for rural Canadian youth.