WVU engineer protects mining equipment operators from fatal accidents with high-tech training headsets that visualize blind spots

West Virginia University

 

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WVU undergraduate student Jacob Horner (left) and masters students Amelia Echard and Paubla Gallego test augmented reality systems designed to provide safety trainings to coal miners. Augmented reality technology has been integrated into classrooms at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, where students experience mining environments through innovative virtual interfaces while contributing to research aimed at reducing miner deaths.

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Credit: WVU Photo/Paige Nesbit

To keep miners safe, a West Virginia University researcher is creating a training program that uses augmented reality headsets to prepare workers to operate around high-risk vehicles.

“Powered haulage” vehicles like dump trucks and front-end loaders account for nearly 50% of all mining-related deaths, partly because they offer such limited visibility. In response, WVU mining engineer Deniz Tuncay is enabling powered haulage operators and miners to enhance their awareness of blind spots and their ability to identify hazards with his augmented reality training technology, which will project blind spots directly onto the trainee operator’s surroundings. 

The research is supported by more than $173,500 from the U.S. Department of Labor Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Program, which honors the victims of mine disasters in Brookwood, Alabama, and Tallmansville, West Virginia, with funding for training to make mine conditions safer.

Tuncay, assistant professor at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, said in West Virginia, specifically, powered haulage has been the top cause of fatal mining accidents for a decade.

“West Virginia has experienced an average of nearly four fatalities per year over the past 10 years, the highest rate nationally. We need a way to train operators and mine personnel in scenarios that would be dangerous or impossible to replicate in the real world,” he said.

“Augmented reality seamlessly integrates 3D digital content into real-world environments, so trainees can virtually interact with mobile equipment, observe blind spots and practice responding to hazards in a highly controlled, risk-free setting. For safety issues related to visibility, augmented reality training is ideal. It can transform safety training and operational practices — and ultimately reduce fatalities and injuries in the mining industry.”

The game “Pokémon Go” is an example of augmented reality software that inserts digital avatars into the real world as viewed through the camera of a user’s cell phone. A miner taking an augmented reality training in a classroom might put on a headset that would highlight which parts of the classroom would be in the miner’s blind spot if the miner were operating power haulage equipment, for example.

Tuncay said even though the age demographic of the mining industry is getting older, with more than half of U.S. miners now over 45, in most serious accidents caused by powered haulage, the victim has less than a year of total job experience. Augmented reality’s ability to visualize complex environments is ideal for miners like these, who are still developing situational awareness and mastering safety protocols.

“Our primary targets for the trainings are miners with low experience,” he said. “We’ll test our modules on WVU students, who will also be inexperienced operating these machines and of similar ages to early-career mine workers. We’ll also test on more experienced subjects and compare the effectiveness of our approach across the groups.”

Tuncay will develop the augmented reality simulations based on diagrams, many published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, that provide visual representations of blind areas for common surface mine equipment models like rear dump trucks, backhoe loaders, dozers, graders and excavators. He’ll also enable mine operators to generate blind-area diagrams customized for their own equipment.

Recognizing that conventional vocational trainings often fall short in high-risk settings like mining, Tuncay turned to augmented reality as a safe, effective platform for recognizing hazards and practicing responses. He said augmented reality bolsters learning and information retention by allowing trainees to actively interact with virtual environments that replicate complicated, risky conditions.

“Augmented reality’s accessibility is growing as the hardware costs drop, and it’s going to be an integral part of the future of education and training. There’s already promising evidence from industries like manufacturing that augmented and virtual reality systems boost training efficiency and safety outcomes. The benefits range from reduced training costs to improved worker retention.”

Tuncay will work with Vladislav Kecojevic, professor of mining engineering, and Amy McBrayer, teaching assistant professor, to develop the modules, which will offer not only augmented reality simulations, but video and audio narrations, quizzes, questionnaires and data analytics that track trainee progress, performance and engagement. The team will also incorporate tutorials supporting trainers who may have limited experience with the technology.

“These trainings will be tailored to the specific challenges of a number of different mining operations,” he said. “Mining Engineering at WVU has strong ties with more than 20 Appalachian mining companies, and we’ll engage with them to make sure we’re aligned with industry needs and directly addressing the root causes of these powered haulage accidents.”

University researcher Deniz Tuncay (left) and a student try out augmented reality headsets from WVU Mining Engineering. Tuncay is using augmented reality to prevent young miners from dying in equipment accidents caused by blind spots.

Credit

WVU Photo/Paige Nesbit

 GREENWASHING

Travelers weigh in on weight-based airfares for eco-friendly skies

UNH research looks at public perception of controversial airfare policies

University of New Hampshire

DURHAM, N.H.—The holidays are in full swing and people are shopping, wrapping and packing to visit loved ones. Along with the extra fees for checked baggage and seat upgrades, some airlines are also considering weight-based pricing. A recent study out of the University of New Hampshire looked at how people felt about weighing their baggage and themselves to help reduce emissions and found while over half of travelers are not keen about hopping on the scale, some would be open to the idea — especially if it aligns with their own interests in the environment.

“We wanted to explore how air travel could be made more sustainable, especially considering the weight we carry — both personal weight and baggage that often travels back and forth,” said Markus Schuckert, professor of hospitality management. “We wondered if reducing weight overall could contribute to more eco-friendly air travel and began questioning whether passengers might accept pricing that reflects this.”

In their study, recently published in the journal of Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, researchers surveyed over 1,000 U.S. air travelers to gauge their view on three potential fare policies that provided a more sustainable flying option. The heavier the aircraft, the more jet fuel it burns and the more carbon emissions are produced so they devised a tier approach — a standard policy where all passengers pay a uniform price; a threshold policy where passengers exceeding a certain weight pay additional fees; and a unit-of-body-weight policy where each passenger’s airfare is based on their combined body and baggage weight.

The standard policy was the most accepted approach across all demographics, with more than half of respondents rating it as the most ethical option. Nearly 60% of participants voiced concerns about weight-based policies, citing potential fairness issues and the risk of discrimination, especially around factors like nutrition, income and accessibility which often influence body weight.

Those who were more in favor of weight-based policies tended to be younger with those ages 18-35 accepting weight-based pricing almost 20 percentage points more than travelers who were 66 and older. Additionally, travelers with higher incomes or frequent flyer status were 25% more likely to support weight-based policies than those in lower income brackets or who didn’t travel as much.

The idea of weight-based pricing touches on some key concerns for airlines — specifically, the balance between environmental impact and customer privacy. This concept can be polarizing and has yet to gain traction with most airlines due to ethical concerns.

Researchers say the study isn’t meant to be an endorsement of such policies, it just makes sense from a research perspective to investigate whether the idea offers a pathway to reduce emissions for a more sustainable air travel — and if passengers would accept these changes.

“This topic has been widely discussed for decades, but there’s surprisingly little research on it,” said Schuckert. “Some airlines have tried or considered weight-based policies, but the main roadblock remains ethical concerns, which make it difficult to even discuss. But if we aim to make air travel more sustainable, we should have an open discussion. That’s really the point of research — to put everything on the table for consideration.”

Researchers say future studies could look at alternative ways to incentivize lighter travel or new approaches to sustainability that avoid discrimination and support both environmental and social responsibility.

Co- authors include Lorenzo Masiero and Judit Zoltan, both from the University of Bologna, Italy; Denis Tolkach, James Cook University, Australia; Stephen Pratt, University of Central Florida; Matias Thuen Jørgensen, Roskilde University, Denmark; and Kaye Chon, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from 50 states and 87 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF, and NIH, and received over $250 million in competitive external funding in FY24 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.

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Journal

Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice

 

Cases of whooping cough growing, but knowledge about it is lacking

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

 

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Half of the public (50%) knows that Tdap protects against tetanus, 47% know it protects against diphtheria, 44% against whooping cough. Source: Annenberg Public Policy Center's ASAPH survey, November 2024.

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Credit: Annenberg Public Policy Center

PHILADELPHIA – Following a several-year lull during the pandemic, cases of whooping cough are increasing across the United States. As of Nov. 30, early U.S. data show over 28,000 cases reported this year, or six times as many as in the same period in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Whooping cough or pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory tract, was one of the most common childhood diseases in the 20th century and a major cause of childhood mortality, according to the CDC. Until a pertussis vaccine became available in the 1940s, over 200,000 cases were reported annually, the CDC says.

As cases rise, a nationally representative panel survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania finds that many in the public are not familiar with symptoms of the disease. Almost a third of respondents (30%) are not sure if pertussis is the same as whooping cough (it is) and not sure (30%) whether a vaccine exists to prevent it (it does).

The CDC recommends vaccination for everyone against whooping cough, which is spread by coughing or sneezing. The illness may first resemble a common cold but can produce “rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits” a week to two weeks after symptoms appear. People who are vaccinated may still get whooping cough but generally have a milder illness.

Safety reviews of two main types of whooping cough vaccines – Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis), for those 7 years and older, and DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis) for infants and young children – show both to be safe and effective, the CDC reports.

“The MMR vaccine, which covers measles, mumps and rubella, is colloquially referred to as the measles vaccine,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC). “Instead of speaking about the DTaP and Tdap vaccines and using the unfamiliar term ‘pertussis,’ public health communicators should reiterate that our best defense against whooping cough is the whooping cough vaccine.”

What does Tdap protect against?

The Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) is recommended by the CDC to be given to everyone age 7 and older, including those who are pregnant to protect their newborn.

Yet only half or less of Americans know which diseases the Tdap vaccine protects against. According to the latest Annenberg Public Policy Center health survey, when a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults is provided with a list of diseases and asked which of these diseases the Tdap vaccine protects against, a third of respondents (34%) say they are not sure.

Just 44% selected pertussis or whooping cough, 47% selected diphtheria, and 50% selected tetanus, all correct. The vast majority of respondents rightly rejected several incorrect choices – just 13% said Tdap protects against polio, 10% said pneumococcal disease such as pneumonia or meningitis, 3% selected dengue, and 1% chose Zika.

In total, almost 3 in 10 people (29%) knew all three diseases that the Tdap vaccine protects against and chose none of the incorrect ones.

The survey finds that 85% of respondents say they would be likely to recommend that a child aged 11 to 12 years old in their household or an adult in their family who is due for their 10-year booster get a Tdap vaccine. And 80% indicated that they think the Tdap vaccine is effective at offering protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, although 15% were unsure.

Knowing the symptoms of whooping cough

Many in the public lack familiarity with the symptoms of whooping cough – in fact, when the survey respondents are shown a list of symptoms and asked which are for whooping cough, the only one almost universally recognized (83%) is coughing fits. These fits are often followed by a distinctive “whoop” sound when someone gasps for air. Low-grade fever is correctly selected as a symptom by 44%; vomiting after coughing fits by 33%; and runny nose by 30%. Under a third of respondents selected symptoms that are not associated with whooping cough: 30% incorrectly chose headache and 28% incorrectly chose chills. Only 14% said they were not sure of the symptoms.

About half of those surveyed (49%) think that a healthy adult who got whooping cough would be likely to experience moderate (34%) or severe (15%) symptoms, while 21% think the adult would experience mild symptoms, 1% think no symptoms, and 29% are not sure.

APPC’s Annenberg Science and Public Health knowledge survey

The survey data come from the 22nd wave of a nationally representative panel of 1,771 U.S. adults conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center by SSRS, an independent market research company. Most have been empaneled since April 2021. To account for attrition, small replenishment samples have been added over time using a random probability sampling design. The most recent replenishment, in September 2024, added 360 respondents to the sample. This wave of the Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge (ASAPH) survey was fielded Nov. 14-24, 2024. The margin of sampling error (MOE) is ± 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All figures are rounded to the nearest whole number and may not add to 100%. Combined subcategories may not add to totals in the topline and text due to rounding.

Download the topline and the methods report.

The policy center has been tracking the American public’s knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding vaccination, Covid-19, flu, RSV, and other consequential health issues through this survey panel over the past two-and-a-half years. In addition to APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson, APPC’s team on the survey includes research analysts Laura A. Gibson and Shawn Patterson Jr.; Patrick E. Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute; and Ken Winneg, managing director of survey research.HomeLoginRegister

Survey: What are the symptoms of whooping cough



Although most Americans (83%) know that coughing fits are a symptom of whooping cough, other symptoms such as low-grade fever and runny nose are less well known. Source: Annenberg Public Policy Center's ASAPH survey, November 2024.

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Annenberg Public Policy Center

The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policy makers about communication’s role in advancing public understanding of political, science, and health issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

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Method of Research

Survey

Study shows drop in use of antiviral medications in young children with influenza

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a recent study reports an underuse of the treatment.

“Antiviral Use Among Children Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Illness: A Prospective, Multicenter Surveillance Study” was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the flagship journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Flu illness accounts for up to 10% of all pediatric hospitalizations during the winter season in the United States.

While guidelines recommend all hospitalized children with suspected or confirmed influenza receive prompt treatment with influenza-specific antivirals regardless of symptom duration or vaccination, study results show adherence to guidelines fall short.

“Our findings of limited use of antivirals in hospitalized children with influenza illness is concerning,” said James Antoon, MD, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “We found that almost half of hospitalized children did not receive antiviral therapy despite widely endorsed recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Infectious Diseases Society of America and American Academy of Pediatrics. Use of these antivirals reduce how long children have symptoms and prevent influenza complication.”

Antoon, along with Justin Amarin, MD, co-led a multicenter study of a cohort of children hospitalized with confirmed flu diagnosis at seven pediatric medical centers in the CDC New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) between Dec. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2020. A total of 1,213 children with lab-confirmed flu were included.

Among those with research or clinical influenza testing, only half received antiviral treatment and among those with clinical influenza testing by a physician, almost two-thirds received an antiviral.

Study findings also saw almost 37% of hospitalized infants younger than 6 months old, who are not eligible for flu vaccination, did not receive an antiviral.

“The low use of influenza antivirals shows the need for additional efforts to understand the barriers to treatment and improving clinical testing. Improved antiviral treatment is critical for optimizing care in this population of patients,” said Antoon.

Natasha Halasa, MD, PhD, Craig Weaver Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Monroe Carell, served as the site principal investigator.

“Data from two national influenza surveillance networks indicate that antiviral treatment of hospitalized children and adolescents with influenza has declined from 70%– 86% during the 2017–2018 season to less than 60% in 2023–2024,” noted Halasa.

“Only 30% of children and adolescents at higher risk for influenza complications were prescribed antivirals during outpatient visits.”

These findings mentioned by Halasa were published in the CDC digest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on Nov. 14.

Antoon said that antiviral treatment results in shorter symptom duration, lower risk of developing subsequent pneumonia and sinusitis and otitis media infections. Some data suggests that use of antivirals is associated with decreases in hospital length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit admissions.

“Future studies should also focus on improving influenza testing and prompt antiviral treatment for children with influenza-associated hospitalizations as well as standardizing care both within and across institutions,” he said.

 

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Journal

Clinical Infectious Diseases

Article Title

Antiviral Use Among Children Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Illness: A Prospective, Multicenter Surveillance Study

Article Publication Date

17-Dec-2024

NIH study finds no significant link between time spent in childcare and young children's mental health, even amid early adversity

 ANOTHER RIGHT WING TROPE BURIED

Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes

 

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Michelle Enlow Bosquet, PhD 

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Credit: Harvard Medical School

Sending children to childcare outside the home may not significantly affect children’s mental health, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health. This finding holds true even for children who face challenges, such as a parent’s mental illness or financial struggles at home.

Many children in the U.S. under the age of 5 years spend some time in childcare outside the home. Researchers wanted to learn whether attending childcare influenced the mental health of children, particularly those who had experienced early adversity.

“Despite the extensive use of childcare in the U.S. and documented benefits, there are still some concerns that childcare attendance (vs. staying at home with a parent) increases the risk for poor child outcomes,” said Michelle Bosquet Enlow, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “This can lead to considerable feelings of guilt and worry for parents who use childcare.”

The study looked at various forms of childcare, including center-based care, home-based non-relative care, and care by a relative. However, previous findings on the role of childcare in child mental health have produced mixed results. While many studies highlight positive associations with attending childcare, some raise concerns that childcare may increase the risk for poor child developmental outcomes. “Understanding how childcare can influence children's development, especially for those facing extra challenges, can help shape public policies that promote healthy outcomes for kids,” said Dr. Bosquet Enlow.

Key Findings

• Children facing early life adversity were more likely to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, aggression, or hyperactivity symptoms.
• Childcare attendance did not seem to be associated with increased or decreased levels of mental health symptoms, including among children facing adversity.
• The study did not find any evidence that the number of hours in childcare corresponded to worse mental health outcomes for children, even those at elevated psychosocial and socioeconomic risk.

The findings suggest that while children facing higher levels of stress, mental illness in the family, and economic hardship were more likely to have higher levels of internalizing symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) and externalizing symptoms (such as aggression and hyperactivity), number of hours in childcare did not appear to play a significant role in altering these outcomes.

About the study

The study followed 2,024 parent-child pairs from three diverse U.S. research groups within the ECHO Cohort. Participants were recruited from hospitals in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, as well as from adoption agencies across the United States.

Researchers measured children’s childcare experiences from birth to age 3 years and examined parental factors like childhood adversity, depression, and education level. Between ages 3 and 5.5 years, the children’s mental health was assessed for symptoms like anxiety, depression, and aggression.

This collaborative research was published in Development and Psychopathology.      

Bosquet Enlow, M., et al. (2024) The Influence of Early Childhood Education and Care on the Relation between Early Life Social Adversity and Children’s Mental Health in the Environmental influences for Child Health Outcomes Program. Development and Psychopathology. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579424001822

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About ECHO: Launched in 2016, the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program is a research program in the Office of the Director at the NIH with the mission to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

About the NIH: NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information, visit www.nih.gov.

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Journal

Development and Psychopathology

DOI

10.1017/S0954579424001822 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The Influence of Early Childhood Education and Care on the Relation between Early Life Social Adversity and Children’s Mental Health in the Environmental influences for Child Health Outcomes Program

 

Missing rebound: Youth drug use defies expectations, continues historic decline

University of Michigan

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Adolescent drug use continued to drop in 2024, building on and extending the historically large decreases that occurred during the pandemic onset in 2020.

"I expected adolescent drug use would rebound at least partially after the large declines that took place during the pandemic onset in 2020, which were among the largest ever recorded," said Richard Miech, team lead of the Monitoring the Future study at U-M's Institute for Social Research. 

"Many experts in the field had anticipated that drug use would resurge as the pandemic receded and social distancing restrictions were lifted. As it turns out, the declines have not only lasted but have dropped further." 

Miech is a principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future Study, which annually surveys eighth, 10th and 12th grade students across the United States.

The number of students who abstained from drug use reached record levels in 2024, with abstention defined as no past 30-day use of alcohol, marijuana or nicotine cigarettes or e-cigarettes. 

The percentage of students who abstained from the use of these drugs in 2024 was 67% in 12th grade (compared to 53% in 2017 when it was first measured), 80% in 10th grade (compared to 69% in 2017) and 90% in eighth grade (compared to 87% in 2017). The increases in abstention from 2023 to 2024 were statistically significant in the 12th and 10th grades.

Declines in drug use in 2024 were evident across alcohol, marijuana and nicotine vaping, which are the three most common forms of substance use by adolescents:

• For alcohol, significant decreases in 12th and 10th grades continued a long-standing decline that began in the late 1990s. In 2024, 42% of 12th graders reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, a substantial drop from 75% in 1997. Among 10th graders, the percentage fell to 26% from 65% in 1997; among eighth graders, it dropped to 13% from 46% in 1997.

• For marijuana, decreases in use among students are a more recent development. In all three grades, the percentage who used marijuana in the past 12 months hovered within a tight window of just a few percentage points in the 20 years from 2000 to 2020. In 2021, the first year surveyed after the pandemic onset, substantial declines in marijuana use took place in all three grades. In 12th and 10th grades, these declines have since continued, and past 12-month use levels in 2024 were the lowest in the past three decades, at 26% and 16%, respectively. In eighth grade, the percentage in 2024 was 7%, the same for the past four years after dropping from a pre-pandemic level of 11% in 2020. 

• For nicotine vaping, the 2024 declines continue a 180-degree turn centered around the pandemic onset. Before the pandemic, use levels surged from 2017 to 2019 and then held steady in 2020 (before the pandemic onset). Large declines took place during the pandemic, and these declines have since continued to the point where the 2024 levels for the past 12 months of nicotine vaping are close to where they started in 2017, the first year that questions on nicotine vaping were included on the survey. Specifically, past 12-month use was 21% in 12th grade (compared to 35% in 2020 and 19% in 2017), 15% in 10th grade (compared to 31% in 2020 and 16% in 2017) and 10% in eighth grade (compared to 17% in 2020 and 10% in 2017).

The continued declines in adolescent drug use since the pandemic raise important policy and research questions. They suggest that a delay in drug use initiation during adolescence could potentially lower substance use trajectories over a lifetime, Miech says.

Such a delay, he says, may prevent youth from associating with drug-using peer groups that encourage continued use and may forestall biological processes that contribute to the development of addiction.

The Monitoring the Future study is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the National Institutes of Health. It is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan. 

Reported use of most drugs among adolescents remained low in 2024

New NIH-funded data show lower use of most substances continues following the COVID-19 pandemic

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

After declining significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, substance use among adolescents has continued to hold steady at lowered levels for the fourth year in a row, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future Survey, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These recent data continue to document stable and declining trends in the use of most drugs among young people.

“This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “We must continue to investigate factors that have contributed to this lowered risk of substance use to tailor interventions to support the continuation of this trend.”

Reported use for almost all measured substances decreased dramatically between 2020 and 2021, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes like school closures and social distancing. In 2022 and 2023, most reported substance use among adolescents held steady at these lowered levels, with similar trends and some decreases in use in 2024.

The Monitoring the Future survey is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by NIDA. The survey is given annually to students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades who self-report their substance use behaviors over various time periods, such as past 30 days, past 12 months, and lifetime. The survey also documents students’ perceptions of harm, disapproval of use, and perceived availability of drugs. The survey results are released the same year the data are collected. From February through June 2024, the Monitoring the Future investigators collected 24,257 surveys from students enrolled across 272 public and private schools in the United States.

When breaking down the data by specific drugs, the survey found that adolescents most commonly reported use of alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cannabis in the 12 months prior to the survey, and levels generally declined from or held steady with the lowered use reported over the past few years. Compared to levels reported in 2023, data reported in 2024 show:

• Alcohol use remained stable for eighth graders, with 12.9% reporting use in the past 12 months. Alcohol use declined among the other two grades surveyed, with 26.1% of 10th graders reporting alcohol use in the past 12 months (compared to 30.6% in 2023), and 41.7% of 12th graders reporting alcohol use in the past 12 months (compared to 45.7% in 2023). 
• Nicotine vaping remained stable for eighth and 12th graders, with 9.6% of eighth graders and 21.0% of 12th graders reporting vaping nicotine in the past 12 months. It declined among 10th graders, with 15.4% reporting nicotine vaping in the past 12 months (compared to 17.6% in 2023).
• Nicotine pouch use remained stable for eighth graders, with 0.6% reporting use within the past 12 months. It increased among the two older grades with 3.4% of 10th graders reporting nicotine pouch use in the past 12 months (compared to 1.9% in 2023) and 5.9% of 12th graders reporting nicotine pouch use in the past 12 months (compared to 2.9% in 2023).
• Cannabis use remained stable for the younger grades, with 7.2% of eighth graders and 15.9% of 10th graders reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months. Cannabis use declined among 12th graders, with 25.8% reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months (compared to 29.0% in 2023). Of note, 5.6% of eighth graders, 11.6% of 10th graders, and 17.6% of 12th graders reported vaping cannabis within the past 12 months, reflecting a stable trend among all three grades.
• Delta-8-THC (a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant) use was measured for the first time among eighth and 10th graders in 2024, with 2.9% of eighth graders and 7.9% of 10th graders reporting use within the past 12 months. Reported use of Delta-8-THC among 12th graders remained stable with 12.3% reporting use within the past 12 months.
• Any illicit drug use other than marijuana declined among eight graders, with 3.4% reporting use in the past 12 months compared to 4.6% in 2023). It remained stable for the other two grades surveyed, with 4.4% of 10th graders and 6.5% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use other than marijuana in the past 12 months. These data build on long-term trends documenting low and declining use of illicit substances reported among teenagers – including past-year use of cocaine, heroin, and misuse of prescription drugs, generally.
• Use of narcotics other than heroin (including Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.) are only reported among 12th graders, and decreased in 2024, with 0.6% reporting use within the past 12 months (reflecting an all-time low, down from a high of 9.5% in 2004).
• Abstaining, or not using, marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine in the past 30 days, remained stable for eighth graders, with 89.5% reporting abstaining from use of these drugs in the past 30 days prior to the survey. It increased for the two older grades, with 80.2% of 10th graders reporting abstaining from any use of marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine over the past 30 days (compared to 76.9% in 2023) and 67.1% of 12th graders reporting abstaining from use of these drugs in the past 30 days (compared to 62.6% in 2023).

“Kids who were in eighth grade at the start of the pandemic will be graduating from high school this year, and this unique cohort has ushered in the lowest rates of substance use we’ve seen in decades,” said Richard A. Miech, Ph.D., team lead of the Monitoring the Future survey at the University of Michigan. “Even as the drugs, culture, and landscape continue to evolve in future years, the Monitoring the Future survey will continue to nimbly adapt to measure and report on these trends – just as it has done for the past 50 years.”

The results were gathered from a nationally representative sample, and the data were statistically weighted to provide national numbers. This year, 35% of students who took the survey identified as Hispanic. Of those who did not identify as Hispanic, 14% identified as Black or African American, 1% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 4% as Asian, 1% as Middle Eastern, 37% as white, and 7% as more than one of the preceding non-Hispanic categories.  The survey also asks respondents to identify as male, female, other, or prefer not to answer. For the 2024 survey, 47% of students identified as male, 49% identified as female, 1% identified as other, and 3% selected the “prefer not to answer” option.

All participating students took the survey via the web – either on tablets or on a computer – with 99% of respondents taking the survey in-person in school in 2024.

The 2024 Monitoring the Future data tables highlighting the survey results are available online from the University of Michigan.

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Systematic bias may sway family courts and affect parental rights, particularly for fathers

A new study is exposing how race, gender, and religion intersect to create inequities in custody cases with biases—including racism, Islamophobia, and sexism—often shaping outcomes to the detriment of fathers and their children.

University of Ottawa

 

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A new study is exposing how race, gender, and religion intersect to create inequities in custody cases with biases—including racism, Islamophobia, and sexism—often shaping outcomes to the detriment of fathers and their children. 

 

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Credit: University of Ottawa

A new study is exposing how race, gender, and religion intersect to create inequities in custody cases with biases—including racism, Islamophobia, and sexism—often shaping outcomes to the detriment of fathers and their children. 

Published in Discover Psychology, the new research sheds light on the pervasive and systemic biases influencing family court decisions, particularly against racialized fathers from South Asian and Middle Eastern/North African backgrounds, who can be seen as controlling, abusive or resistant to cultural assimilation. The small-scale study found biases often lead to unjust custody outcomes, harming both the fathers and their children.

Key findings from the study led by Dr. Monnica Williams, a Full Professor in the Faculties of Social Sciences and Medicine, reviewed three court cases across North America and found: 

• Stigmatization Through Stereotypes: Racialized fathers were frequently perceived as authoritarian, dangerous, or unfit due to culturally biased assumptions and Islamophobic beliefs. Cultural stereotypes are weaponized to discredit fathers.
• Parental Alienation and Abuse Allegations: Claims of abuse by mothers were often dismissed or inadequately investigated, while allegations of alienation against fathers were prioritized, leading to unjust custody rulings.
• Mental Health and Trauma: Fathers faced additional stigma when mental health challenges, such as depression or PTSD, were weaponized against them in court.
• Harm to Children: The systemic undervaluation of non-White fathers' roles led to decisions that undermined the welfare of children. Delayed judgments exacerbated harm to children and weakened relationships with non-custodial parents.

Professor Williams, who is Canada Research Chair in Mental Health, and her co-authors – fellow Faculty of Medicine professor Sonya Faber and Doctoral student Manzar Zare plus Rehman Y. Abdulrehman of the University of Manitoba and Theresa Baker – are calling for systemic reforms, including bias training for judges, attorneys, and custody evaluators, and the use of evidence-based assessments to ensure fair outcomes.

 

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Journal

Discover Psychology

DOI

10.1007/s44202-024-00282-8 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Intersectional racial and gender bias in family court