Northeast > Resources > Topic Specific > Diverse Populations > Gender Trends

How do recent national rates of substance use differ by gender?

The following information is based on national data.

• Tobacco: According to the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results, male students were more likely than female students to have smoked tobacco at least once in their lifetime (66.3 vs. 61.6 percent) and to have smoked at least once in the past 30 days (29.2 vs. 27.7 percent).
  
• Alcohol: Males were also more likely to have had a drink in their lifetime (78.6 vs. 77.9), to have had at least one drink in the past 30 days (49.2 vs. 45 percent), and to have had at least five drinks in a two-hour period at some point in the past 30 days (33.5 vs. 26.4 percent).
  
• Illicit Drugs: Illicit drug use was also more likely among male students at least once in their lifetime and at least once in the past 30 days. The difference was of at least one percent for marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The most significant differences were in marijuana use in lifetime (46.5 and 38.4 percent) and in past 30 days use (27.9 vs. 20 percent).
  
• Inhalants: Female students were more likely to sniff chemicals at least once in a lifetime than their male peers (14.9 vs. 14.5 percent), but not to sniff chemicals at least once in the past 30 days (5.1 vs. 4.2 percent).