Parents are less likely to be aware of a younger child’s cigarette and alcohol use than that of an older child, according to analysis of multiyear data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Less than half of mothers knew that their 12- to 14-year-old child had used cigarettes (42%) or alcohol (33%) in the past year, compared to 57% and 61%, respectively, of mothers of 15- to 17-year-olds.

In contrast, age made no difference for the mother’s awareness of marijuana use -- less than half (41%) of parents of both younger and older children were aware of their child’s marijuana use. Similar results were found for fathers.

These findings illustrate the need for parent-oriented substance abuse prevention programs, with a particular need for alcohol and tobacco education for parents of middle school age youth.