Dangerous Behavior

This link is to the Marion County Public Health Department's comprehensive community health assessment (CHA) report on the chronic and infectious disease, environmental health, built environment and social determinates of health affecting Marion County residents 12-17 years of age. For the complete CHA report (all age groups), please refer to http://marionhealth.org/mcphd-community-health-assessment-2014/ instead of the above link.

Substance use continues to be a major public health concern, negatively impacting a variety of health, legal, and social outcomes. Nearly one-fourth of Hoosiers ages 12 and older engaged in binge drinking in the past month and one-tenth used an illicit substance. Furthermore, 7% of Indiana residents met criteria for substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year and 6.5% needed but did not receive treatment for their SUD.

Of particular concern is polysubstance use, or the use of two or more substances over a defined period, simultaneously or at differing times, for recreational purposes. In over 70% of admissions to substance use treatment in Indiana, the use of multiple substances was indicated, with 30% reporting the use of two drugs and nearly 41% reporting the use of three drugs.

During state fiscal year 2018, a total of 10,483 children were removed from their parents by the Department of Child Services in Indiana; almost two-thirds (64%) of these removals were due to parental alcohol and/or drug use.