A new study has found that asthma is more common among high school students who use cannabis relative to those who do not.
The study, performed by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the City University of New York and published in the journal Pediatric Pulmonology, sourced data from 2019’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a survey run by CDC which collects data from students in grades 9-12 across the U.S. bi-annually. In order to understand the potential health impacts associated with cannabis use among adolescents, the research team, led by Renee Goodwin in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia Public Health, “utilized logistical models to examine the prevalence of asthma with past 30-day cannabis use, current cigarette [and] alcohol [use],” and “state-of-residence cannabis legal status.”
The team found that “cannabis use was more common among female” youth and “Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic youth relative to Non-Hispanic White youth.” Also, “cannabis use was much more common among the students who reported any past 30-day cigarette or alcohol use” by a nearly 40% margin. These findings help narrow down what groups of adolescents statistically need more guidance.
Goodwin, the leader of the research team behind the study, emphasizes that “the findings of this study have important implications for public health, education, and drug prevention programs targeting high school students.” She also states that “scientific data that can inform clinical guidelines and public health policy…on the potential relationship between cannabis use and respiratory health among youth is critical.”
Newswise has the release.
