More than 3,000 secondary school students were surveyed to research the association and prevalence of nonmedical and medical use of stimulant ADHD medication. Self-administered surveys indicated a correlation between high rates of medical use and high rates of nonmedical use. Other risk facts included schools who had the following characteristics:

• Participation in a recent prior study cohort
• Parent population with higher educational levels
• Located in the regions not in the Northeastern US
• Located in a suburban area
• Higher proportion of white students
• Medium levels of binge drinking among students

The study reports a wide variation in rates of ADHD stimulant use across schools and suggests a need for increased substance misuse prevention efforts in those where there are high rates of prescription stimulant ADHD medication use.