The reality of drug use in school populations

Abstract

Objectives: To characterize illegal drug use among Azorean high school students and to assess their knowledge of this subject. Type of study: Cross-sectional. Setting: High schools in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Population: High school students in the ninth grade Methods: A survey was conducted in a convenience sample of ninth grade students in five high schools in the region. Results: The study included 602 teenagers, of who 307 were females, with an average age of 15.2 (14-18) years. All respondents said they had already heard of drugs (76.4% at school and 47% at home), 62.3% have seen friends consume drugs, 38.0% had been offered drugs and 25.6% had tried drugs (55.8% of the boys and 44.2% of the girls). The average age of first use was 14.4 years and the most commonly drug used was cannabis. The main place of consumption was in bar or nightclub but 41% had seen drug use at school and 46.8% of users have done on this at school. Almost 43% of students had experienced drug use once or twice, 44.2% used on weekends, 9.7% used two to three times a week and 3.2% used drugs every day. The main reasons for drug use were curiosity and the offer of a friend. Conclusions: This study suggests that the prevalence of drug use among Azorean teenagers is high, more than any other region of the country, and higher than the European average. We question the adequacy of information on drug use obtained by the students, considering that this occurs mainly in school. Drug use occurred most often in bars and nightclubs, suggesting possibilities for intervention in these areas. These results suggest the need for adequate information and training, raising awareness of young people to the harmful effects of drug abuse, and promoting healthy lifestyles.