2002, Number 1
¿Ha cambiado el consumo de drogas de los estudiantes? Resultados de la encuesta de estudiantes. Medición otoño del 2000
Villatoro J, Medina-Mora ME, Rojano C, Fleiz C, Bermúdez P, Castro P, Juárez F
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Language: Spanish
References: 8
Page: 43-54
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ABSTRACT
Introduction: The results in this country of diverse studies in household populations of students and of subjects working in the street, show an increase in substance consumption. Cocaine and marijuana consumption also increased among the whole population. At the same time, these studies suggest that living with one’s family or attending school are factors which protect youngsters against drug use.Objective: This paper presents the most important findings on substance use (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) from a survey undertaken in November, 2000 in 7 to 12 grade students.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted in a random sample of 10,578 students from the Federal District, with a bi-stage (school-group), stratified (middle schools, high schools, vocational schools) sampling design, where the last sampling unit was the selected group of students. The results of this study are representative of the political delegations and of the educational level, and the design may be compared to previous school studies conducted by the National Institute of Psychiatry and the Education Ministry. The sampling frame of the study were the school admission records from the 1999-2000 academic year. A random sample was drawn within each political delegation and each educational level. With regard to the estimates precision, the non-respondents rate was 15%, with a mean absolute error of 0.004 and an effect design equal to 2. The confidence intervals obtained were generated through STATA software in its 7.0 version. The subjects’ age was between 12 and 22, mean age 14.5, with 49.8% males and 50.2% females. The questionnaire included drug consumption items that have been used in these studies and by the WHO. Additionally, suicide attempts, depression, risk eating behaviors and several features of sexual behavior were assessed. Interviewers received training for the application of the questionnaires, about several strategies used to enhance student participation and to maintain respondent’s confidentiality. There were 30 interviewers and 5 workfield supervisors.
Results: It was found that tobacco use diminished slightly; 50% of the students had a lifetime prevalence of tobacco use (males 52.5% and females 48.9%). The lifetime prevalence of alcohol use has increased; the indicator of alcohol abuse (5 or more glasses at each occasion in the last month) has been similar during the past three years, although the percentage is still too high. The delegations most affected by this problem are Alvaro Obregón, Benito Juárez, Cuauhtemoc, Gustavo A. Madero and Iztapalapa. In terms of drug consumption, there has been an increase in the total percent age of users; from 12% to 14.7%. The proportion of experimental users has remained at 66% since 1997. The most frequently consumed drugs by males are marijuana (8.3%) and cocaine (7.4%); and by females, tranquilizers (5.8%), marijuana (3.3%) and cocaine (2.9%). The increase in the use of marijuana, cocaine, and tranquilizer has been significant, while the use of inhalants has remained stable. It is important to point out the large amount of tranquilizers being used, specially by women. This drug showed the highest consumption increase. The delegations most affected by substance abuse are Gustavo A. Madero, Iztapalapa, Benito Juárez and Contreras. It was found that adolescents regularly attending school have lower rates of intake than those who were iregular students or drop outs during the year previous to the study. Social tolerance is still low (drug use is not very widely accepted, whereas alcohol and tobacco are more acceptable), however, the perception of the risk associated to marijuana consumption is not very high.
Discussion: Unfortunately drug use has increased in this population, and levels of consumption between men and women are increasingly similar, specially for alcohol and tobacco. Cocaine use also increased in adolescents, although it’s still the second most used drug after marijuana. It is important to mention that there has also been an increase in the use of tranquilizers, which is higher than that of amphetamines, specially in women. Alcohol abuse is also very high in men and women: from every 5 women 1 gets drunk at least once a month. Tobacco consumption is mildly higher. Substance consumption has changed: adolescent women are now moreinvolved in drug consumption, not only of alcohol and tobacco, but also of some psychoactive substances such as marijuana, cocaine and tranquilizers. Adolescents have lower risk perception about drug consumption due to their social environment, although there’s still low social tolerance to it. These findings show the need for institutions involved in this problem to reinforce preventive campaigns and offer healthy alternatives to adolescents within their family, school and social realm.
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