Precious Patrick Edet^1,, Vincent Mendy¹

Background: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are the most used substances among U.S. adolescents, and racial disparities exist. Data on substance use among Mississippi adolescents is limited. We examined racial and gender disparities in current cigarette, electronic vapor products (e.g., e-cigarette), alcohol, and marijuana use among Mississippi adolescents. We hypothesized that the prevalence of current cigarette, electronic vapor products, alcohol, and marijuana use among Mississippi adolescents differed significantly by race and gender. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2019 Mississippi Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for 1,417 participants. We examined associations between current cigarette, electronic vapor products, alcohol, and marijuana use by race (non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White) and gender (male and female) using Chi-Square tests. Results: Among Mississippi adolescents, the prevalence of current cigarette (9.7% vs. 3.7%), electronic vapor products (30.9% vs. 12.3%), and alcohol (34.6% vs. 18.2%) use were significantly higher among Whites compared to Blacks, respectively (p<0.001). Prevalence of current cigarette (8.7% vs. 4.9%, p=0.0018) and electronic vapor products (23.6% vs. 18.9%, p=0.0409) use were significantly higher among males compared to females, respectively. There was no significant racial difference in marijuana use and no gender differences for marijuana and alcohol use. Conclusion: Racial and gender disparities in substance use exist among Mississippi adolescents. Target interventions are needed to address substance use disparities among Mississippi adolescents.

adolescents, gender disparity, racial disparity, Mississippi, substance use