Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114158

Ronald Peters, MA, PhD, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, 7000 Fannin, Suite 2618, Houston, TX 77030, 713-5009642, Ronald.J.Peters@uth.tmc.edu, Steven H. Kelder, PhD, MPH, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, UT-Houston School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, and Warren A. Rhodes, PhD, Department of Mental Health, Prevention Research Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine hydrochloride, known on the streets as “lean,” “barre,” “purple stuff,” and “drank,” has become a drug of choice for African-American teenagers in the Texas area. Abuse of codeine and promethazine hydrochloride cough syrup (CPHCS) has evolved as a result of lyrics in a popular and innovative form of hip-hop music in the Houston-based underground music scene called “screw.” As a result, CPHCS use now represents a growing public health problem for African-American teenagers throughout the United States. The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has expressed growing concern about the accessibility of codeine cough syrup ]. Although there is meager research on this drug trend, a recent study revealed that 25% of at-risk Houstonian youth self-reported lifetime codeine syrup use, while 10% reported having used codeine cough syrup within the 30 days preceding the interview.

In the current study, we used a qualitative approach to investigate relevant beliefs and norms associated with codeine and promethazine hydrochloride cough syrup (CPHCS) consumption, initiation, and perceived addiction among 48 alternative school students who identified themselves as current CPHCS users. In general, both boys and girls believed that CPHCS addiction started during an individual's initial consumption. A majority of both groups reported that their second CPHCS event was initiated during the same or next day after their first event. Our findings suggest that friends and an innovative form of hip-hop music called “screw” are strong reinforcers of CPHCS use.

Learning Objectives:

• To provide information public health professionals a growing problem for African-American teenagers throughout the United States which is diffused through music

Related Web page: publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/hleader/archive/CHILDREN/040517/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation