Smoking and Substance Abuse among Medical Students in Iran
Journal of Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences,
Vol. 39 No. 3 (2021),
1 August 2022
,
Page 95-101
https://doi.org/10.22037/jds.v39i3.36705
Abstract
Objectives Drug abuse is a critical health problem in human societies. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of drug abuse among students in a medical university in Iran.
Methods This cross-sectional study was performed in 2016 on a convenient sample of 800 undergraduate students in a medical university in Tehran, Iran. Data were gathered by means of a self-administered questionnaire inquiring the students’ age, gender, marital status, home city, living status, smoking, and drug abuse including history, frequency and type. Statistical analyses were performed by the Chi-square test and logistic regression models.
Results The mean age of the respondents was 23.5 years; 67% were males, and 70% were single. Totally, 15% of the students reported cigarette smoking and ≤ 6% used other drugs. The frequency of substance abuse by male students was significantly higher than that by female students (P<0.01). Alcohol consumption was reported by 7% of the students, and had a significantly higher frequency among females (P=0.02). Older students, those spending their free time alone, and those without a job had higher frequency of drug abuse (P≤0.001).
Conclusion Prevalence of drug abuse was low among medical students evaluated in this study, and most of them reported no smoking. Some demographic and lifestyle factors may predispose students to smoking and drug abuse. Provision of preventive programs including surveillance, consultation and treatment will help university students avoid such risky behaviors.
- Smoking
- Substance Abuse
- Students
- Health Occupations
How to Cite
References
Shadel WG, Shiffman S, Niaura R, Nichter M, Abrams DB. Current models of nicotine dependence: what is known and what is needed to advance understanding of tobacco etiology among youth. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2000;59:9-22.
Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA, Ferrari AJ, Baxter AJ, Charlson FJ, Hall WD, et al. Global burden of disease attributable to illicit drug use and dependence: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2013;382(9904):1564-74.
World Health Organization WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2017: Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies. 2017.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World Drug Report 2016. 2016 ed. New York: United Nations publication, Sales No. E.16.XI.7; 2016.
Locke GW, Shilkret R, Everett JE, Petry NM. Interpersonal guilt and substance use in college students. Substance abuse. 2015;36(1):113-8.
Arria AM, Garnier-Dykstra LM, Caldeira KM, Vincent KB, Winick ER, O'Grady KE. Drug use patterns and continuous enrollment in college: results from a longitudinal study. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2013;74(1):71-83.
Charitonidi E, Studer J, Gaume J, Gmel G, Daeppen JB, Bertholet N. Socioeconomic status and substance use among Swiss young men: a population-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2016;16:333.
Chekib Z, Zammit N, Manel L, Menel M, Elghardallou M, Jihen S, et al. Illicit substance use among Tunisian college students: prevalence and risk factors. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2017.
Laraqui O, Laraqui S, Manar N, Ghailan T, Deschamps F, Laraqui CH. Prevalence of consumption of addictive substances amongst Moroccan fishermen. Int Marit Health. 2017;68(1):19-25.
Van Wel JH, Rosiers JF, Van Hal G. Changes in Drug Use Among Belgian Higher Education Students: A Comparison Between 2005, 2009, and 2013. Subst Use Misuse. 2016;51(9):1232-8.
Namjuntra P, Suriyaprom K. Tobacco Use, Exposure to Secondhand Smoke and Cessation Training among Third-Year Medical Technology Students in Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand= Chotmaihet thangphaet. 2015;98(10):1028-34.
Yang T, Yu L, Bottorff JL, Wu D, Jiang S, Peng S, et al. Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) in tobacco control in China. American journal of health behavior. 2015;39(5):732-41.
Inandi T, Caman OK, Aydin N, Onal AE, Kaypmaz A, Turhan E, et al. Global Health Professions Student Surveyturkey: Second-Hand Smoke Exposure and Opinions of Medical Students on Anti-Tobacco Law. Central European journal of public health. 2013;21(3):134.
Chidiac A, Tamim H, Kanso M, Tfayli A. Smoking among Lebanese medical students: Prevalence and attitudes. Ann Thorac Med. 2016;11(3):183-90.
Ayala EE, Roseman D, Winseman JS, Mason HR. Prevalence, perceptions, and consequences of substance use in medical students. Medical Education Online. 2017;22(1):1392824.
El Ansari W, Vallentin-Holbech L, Stock C. Predictors of illicit drug/s use among university students in Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Glob J Health Sci. 2014;7(4):18-29.
Arora A, Kannan S, Gowri S, Choudhary S, Sudarasanan S, Khosla PP. Substance abuse amongst the medical graduate students in a developing country. Indian J Med Res. 2016;143(1):101-3.
Bajwa HZ, Al-Turki AS, Dawas AM, Behbehani MQ, Al-Mutairi AM, Al-Mahmoud S, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with the use of illicit substances among male university students in Kuwait. Med Princ Pract. 2013;22(5):458-63.
Yi S, Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Susilowati IH. Prevalence and associated factors of illicit drug use among university students in the association of southeast Asian nations (ASEAN). Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2017;12(1):9.
Rezahosseini O, Roohbakhsh A, Tavakolian V, Assar S. Drug Abuse among University Students of Rafsanjan, Iran. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci. 2014;8(2):81-5.
Khosravi A, Mousavi SA, Chaman R, Khosravi F, Amiri M, Shamsipour M. Crosswise Model to Assess Sensitive Issues: A Study on Prevalence of Drug Abuse Among University Students of Iran. Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2015;4(2):e24388.
Babaei Heydarabadi A, Ramezankhani A, Barekati H, Vejdani M, Shariatinejad K, Panahi R, et al. Prevalence of Substance Abuse Among Dormitory Students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2015;4(2):e22350.
Jalilian F, Karami Matin B, Ahmadpanah M, Ataee M, Ahmadi Jouybari T, Eslami AA, et al. Socio-demographic characteristics associated with cigarettes smoking, drug abuse and alcohol drinking among male medical university students in Iran. J Res Health Sci. 2015;15(1):42-6.
Taheri E, Ghorbani A, Salehi M, Sadeghnia HR. Cigarette smoking behavior and the related factors among the students of mashhad university of medical sciences in iran. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015;17(1):e16769.
Panahi R, Tavousi M, Ramezankhani A, Sahraei M, Osmani F, Darestani MK, et al. Smoking prevalence and its related factors among dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2018;20(8).
Haghdoost AA, Moosazadeh M. The prevalence of cigarette smoking among students of Iran's universities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Res Med Sci. 2013;18(8):717-25.
Meysamie A, Ghaletaki R, Haghazali M, Asgari F, Rashidi A, Khalilzadeh O, et al. Pattern of tobacco use among the Iranian adult population: results of the national Survey of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases (SuRFNCD-2007). Tob Control. 2010;19(2):125-8.
Amin-Esmaeili M, Rahimi-Movaghar A, Sharifi V, Hajebi A, Mojtabai R, Radgoodarzi R, et al. Alcohol use disorders in Iran: Prevalence, symptoms, correlates, and comorbidity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2017;176(Supplement C):48-54.
Abbasi-Ghahramanloo A, Fotouhi A, Zeraati H, Rahimi-Movaghar A. Prescription Drugs, Alcohol, and Illicit Substance Use and Their Correlations Among Medical Sciences Students in Iran. Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2015;4(1).
Jodati AR, Shakurie SK, Nazari M, Raufie MB. Students’ attitudes and practices towards drug and alcohol use at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2007;13:962-7.
Gignon M, Havet E, Ammirati C, Traullé S, Manaouil C, Balcaen T, et al. Alcohol, cigarette, and illegal substance consumption among medical students: a cross-sectional survey. Workplace health & safety. 2015;63(2):54-63.
Davoren MP, Demant J, Shiely F, Perry IJ. Alcohol consumption among university students in Ireland and the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2014: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2016;16(1):173.
Goel N, Khandelwal V, Pandya K, Kotwal A. Alcohol and tobacco use among undergraduate and postgraduate medical students in India: A multicentric cross-sectional study. Central Asian Journal of Global Health. 2015;4(1).
Al-Ameri RJK, Al-Badri HJA, Lafta RK. Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption among University Students in Baghdad: A Cross-section survey from Iraq. Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health. 2016;13(4), e11942-1- e11942-8 .
Schilling L, Zeeb H, Pischke C, Helmer S, Schmidt-Pokrzywniak A, Reintjes R, et al. Licit and illicit substance use patterns among university students in Germany using cluster analysis. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy. 2017;12(1):44.
Roncero C, Egido A, Rodriguez-Cintas L, Perez-Pazos J, Collazos F, Casas M. Substance Use among Medical Students: A Literature Review 1988- 2013. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2015;43(3):109-21.
Becker JB, McClellan M, Reed BG. Sociocultural context for sex differences in addiction. Addict Biol. 2016;21(5):1052-9.
Keyes KM, Grant BF, Hasin DS. Evidence for a closing gender gap in alcohol use, abuse, and dependence in the United States population. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2008;93(1):21-9.
McHugh RK, Wigderson S, Greenfield SF. Epidemiology of Substance Use in Reproductive-Age Women. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2014;41(2):177-89.
Mohammadpoorasl A, Ghahramanloo AA, Allahverdipour H, Augner C. Substance abuse in relation to religiosity and familial support in Iranian college students. Asian J Psychiatr. 2014;9:41-4.
LaBrie JW, Earle AM, Boyle SC, Hummer JF, Montes K, Turrisi R, et al. A parent-based intervention reduces heavy episodic drinking among first-year college students. Psychol Addict Behav. 2016;30(5):523-35.
Verger P, Guagliardo V, Gilbert F, Rouillon F, Kovess-Masfety V. Psychiatric disorders in students in six French universities: 12-month prevalence, comorbidity, impairment and help-seeking. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2010;45(2):189-99.
Tavolacci MP, Boerg E, Richard L, Meyrignac G, Dechelotte P, Ladner J. Prevalence of binge drinking and associated behaviours among 3286 college students in France. BMC Public Health. 2016;16.
- Abstract Viewed: 89 times
- PDF Downloaded: 78 times