Local Data Dashboard
Substance misuse prevention specialists always look at what they call "four core measures". These indicators predict liklihood of youth in a given community to be at risk of using drugs and alcohol. We also monitor changes in this data over time to gauge the effectiveness of our interventions and emerging drug trends.
The four core measures are:
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self-reported use of a particular drug in the past 30 days
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perception of risk of a particular drug on a scale from great/moderate risk to no/low risk
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perception of peer disapproval
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perception of parent disapproval ​
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LACC gathers this data from our local youth with the help of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District​. WLCSD administers the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth (MiPHY) survey assessment to all 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students every other year. This anonymous, state-level assessment captures a wide range of student responses about many different health-related behaviors and perceptions.
The following graphs illustrate the thousands of responses captured by the MiPHY in the fall of 2019 by all the 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students across the district. We were fortunate to have administered the MiPHY prior to COVID-19, but many schools across Oakland County and Michigan did not complete the survey, so we have incomplete comparison data for 2019-20. However, in the past, Lakes Area student responses were similar to responses from other Oakland County students.
Key points about Lakes Area 30-day use data:
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alcohol is the most frequently misused substance
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"alcohol binge" refers to drinking more than 4-5 drinks in an hour
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marijuana use more than quadruples between 9th and 11th grade
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prescription drugs are being misused by an alarming number of younger students
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nearly a quarter of all 11th graders reported vaping
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"vaping" is not a drug, it is a delivery system. The MiPHY doesn't ask youth what substance they were vaping, only that they used the device to ingest something.