July 2, 2004

In Brief Substance
● Youths aged 12 to 17 who
had run away from home in
Use among
the past 12 months were
more likely to be male (55
Youths Who
percent) than female, and
nearly half (46 percent)
Had Run
were aged 16 or 17
Away from
● Youths aged 12 to 17 who
had run away from home in Home
the past 12 months were

P
more likely to have used revious research has shown that alcohol
and illicit drug use is higher among
alcohol, marijuana, or an
youths who have run away from home
illicit drug other than than among those who do not run away from
marijuana in the past year home.1,2 The 2002 National Survey on Drug
than youths who had not Use and Health (NSDUH) asks youths aged 12
to 17 to report whether they had run away from
run away home and slept on the street in the past 12
months.3 NSDUH also gathers information
● Alcohol use was higher
from youths on their use of alcohol or any illicit
among female youths who drug during the year prior to the interview.
had run away (55 percent) “Any illicit drug other than marijuana” refers to
than male youths who had cocaine (including crack), inhalants,
hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs
run away (46 percent) used nonmedically. Responses were analyzed by
age and gender.

The NSDUH Report (formerly The NHSDA Report) is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission
from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated.
NSDUH REPORT: SUBSTANCE USE AMONG YOUTHS WHO HAD RUN AWAY FROM HOME July 2, 2004

Figure 1. Percentages of Past Year Alcohol and Illicit

Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Runaway
Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17, by Runaway
Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2002
Status: 2002

Youths Who Had Run Away

60%
Characteristic Percent Standard Error Youths Who Had Run Away
Youths Who Had Not Run Away
Total 100.0 - 50.0
Age 50%
12 or 13 years 23.6 1.86
14 or 15 years 30.2 2.07
16 or 17 years 46.2 2.06 40%
Gender 33.0
Male 54.7 2.32
Female 45.3 2.32 30% 27.8
Race/Ethnicity 23.2
White 60.3 2.40
Black 18.5 1.79 20%
American Indian or 14.3
Alaska Native 1.8 0.98 12.4
Native Hawaiian or 10%
Other Pacific Islander 0.0 0.04
Asian 3.2 0.99
Hispanic 14.9 1.74 0%
County Type Alcohol Marijuana Any Illicit Drug
Large Metropolitan 47.7 2.37 Other Than
Small Metropolitan 32.4 2.08 Marijuana*
Nonmetropolitan 19.9 1.54

run away from home in the past 12 from home in the past 12 months
Prevalence of Running months (50 percent) than among than among youths who had not run
Away among Youths youths who had not run away (33 away in the past 12 months
percent) (Figure 1). This difference (Figure 1). For example, in the past
In 2002, approximately 1.6 million
was evident across age groups and year about 23 percent of youths
youths (7 percent) aged 12 to 17 had
for both males and females. The aged 12 to 17 who had run away
run away from home and slept on
rate of alcohol use among youths had used an illicit drug other than
the street in the past 12 months. Ap-
aged 14 or 15 who had run away marijuana compared with 12 per-
proximately 5 percent of youths
from home was 47 percent com- cent of youths who had not run
aged 12 or 13, 6 percent of youths
pared to 34 percent among youths in away.
aged 14 or 15, and 10 percent of
the same age group who had not Among both male and female
youths aged 16 or 17 had run away
run away (Figure 2). Alcohol use youths, and across age groups, the
from home in the past 12 months.
was higher among female youths rate of illicit drug use was higher for
Youths aged 12 to 17 who had run
who had run away (55 percent) than those who had run away in the past
away from home in the past 12
males youths who had run away 12 months compared to youths who
months were more likely to be male
(46 percent). had not run away. For example,
(55 percent) than female, and nearly
youths aged 16 or 17 who had run
half (46 percent) were aged 16 or 17
away were more likely to have used
(Table 1). Prevalence of Illicit Drug marijuana in the past year (40 per-
Use among Youths Who cent) than youths aged 16 or 17 who
Prevalence of Alcohol Use Had Run Away from Home had not run way in the past year (27
percent) (Table 2). Females who had
among Youths Who Had The rates of past year marijuana use run away in the past 12 months re-
Run Away from Home and past year use of an illicit drug ported a higher rate (31 percent) of
other than marijuana were higher marijuana use than females who had
The rate of past year alcohol use
among youths who had run away not run away (14 percent).
was higher among youths who had
July 2, 2004 NSDUH REPORT: SUBSTANCE USE AMONGYOUTHS WHO HAD RUN AWAY FROM HOME

Table 2. Percentages of Past Year Illicit Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17, by Runaway Status and
Demographic Characteristics: 2002

Youths Who Had Run Away Youths Who Had Not Run Away

Any Illicit Any Illicit

Drug Other Drug Other
Marijuana Than Marijuana* Marijuana Than Marijuana*

Demographic
Characteristics % SE % SE % SE % SE

Age
12 or 13 years 7.1 1.95 15.6 3.04 2.8 0.36 7.3 0.54
14 or 15 years 24.7 3.44 19.6 2.84 14.6 0.73 12.4 0.67
16 or 17 years 40.4 3.20 29.5 3.32 26.6 1.00 18.0 0.85
Gender
Male 25.2 2.47 22.0 2.41 14.4 0.61 12.0 0.57
Female 30.9 3.15 24.7 2.99 14.3 0.64 12.9 0.62

End Notes
Figure 2. Past Year Alcohol Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17, by
Runaway Status and Demographic Characteristics: 2002 1. Busen, N.H., & Beech, B. (1997). A collaborative
model for community-based health care
screening of homeless adolescents. Journal of
Professional Nursing, 13, 316-324.
80% Youths Who Had Run Away
Youths Who Had Not Run Away 2. Greene, J.M., Ennett, S.T., & Ringwalt, C.L.
68.7 (1997). Substance use among runaway youths
70% and homeless youths in three national samples.
American Journal of Public Health, 87, 229-235.
60% 55.3 3. The question on running away from home was
54.1
administered to a random 50 percent sample of
50% 47.4 45.7 11,766 youths as part of a methodological
experiment embedded in the 2002 NSDUH. The
40% analytic weights for this sample were ratio
33.6 34.6 adjusted back to the total 12-17 population of
31.4 24,753,586. Any records with missing data for
30% the runaway question were removed from the
analysis. This resulted in a net sample size of
20% 16.9 11,751 (i.e., a loss of 15 records). A total of 787
13.0 youths in the sample reported that they had run
10% away from home in the past 12 months.

Figure Notes
0%
12 or 13 14 or 15 16 or 17 Male Female Source: SAMHSA, 2002 NSDUH.
Age Gender * Any illicit drug other than marijuana includes
cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens,
inhalants, or any prescription-type drug used
nonmedically.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). Prior to 2002, this survey was called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The 2002 data are based on information obtained
from 11,751 youths aged 12 to 17 who were asked a question on running away from home. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a
representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence.
The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI
International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.)
Information and data for this issue are based on the following publication and statistics:
Office of Applied Studies. (2003). Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 03-3836,
NHSDA Series H-22). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Also available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov.
Because of improvements and modifications to the 2002 NSDUH, estimates from U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
the 2002 survey should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier Office of Applied Studies
versions of the survey to examine changes over time. www.samsha.gov