Prevalence of Substance Abuse (Tobacco, Alcohol, Narcotics and Psychotropic Drugs) and Its Relationship to Family Factors in Pre-university Male Students in Shiraz 2017-2018

Prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse in Iranian adults: Results of Azar Cohort Study

Background

Substance abuse has significant health impacts on families and society as a whole. We aimed to provide detailed prevalence estimates of substance abuse among the Azar Cohort Study respondents in Tabriz, Iran.

Methods

Data on 15006 participants of Azar Cohort Study were analyzed. The variables included tobacco smoking, alcohol use, drug abuse, and socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of substance abuse (with a 95% confidence interval) was calculated using the direct standardization method.

Results

Overall, 9.3% and 6.2% of the participants were regular and heavy cigarette smokers, respectively. Also, 1.9% and 2.1% of participants reported a history of using illicit drugs and alcohol, respectively. Substance abuse was more prevalent among males than females. Substance abuse varied significantly with age and socioeconomic variables.

Conclusion

We identified specific demographic and socioeconomic groups with a higher prevalence of all studied behaviors. Such high-risk groups should be targeted when designing substance abuse prevention programs.

Prevalence of substance use among Iranian male adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Substance use among adolescents is one of the most challenging behavioral disorders with direct consequences. It is of the essence (that) the prevalence of substance use is investigated among Iranian male adolescents.

METHODS

The present study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. All published articles titled "prevalence of substance use among Iranian adolescents" authored in Persian and English from 2004 to 2020 on Pub Med, Scopus, SID, and Google Scholar, a top list of academic research databases, were reviewed. Thirty-three out of 805 articles, hinge on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were eligible. Statistical analysis carried out in STATA 14.0.Q index, I2 index, and χ ² test were applied.

RESULTS

Overall prevalence reported with (95% confidence interval) for substance use 7% (4%-11%), methamphetamine 4% (3%-6%), tobacco 10% (3%-19%), and any addictive substances 4% (2%-7%) among male adolescents respectively. Besides, overall prevalence of alcohol consumption reported 10% (8%-11%).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of substance use among male adolescents is high, so it is indispensable for researchers to pay special attention to this issue.

Trends and Gender Differences in Mental Disorders in Hospitalized Patients in Thailand

Previous studies have shown that gender differences play a substantial role in the influence of mental disorders. This study was designed to investigate gender differences in mental disorders by presenting odd ratio (OR) trends and cumulative effects over a period of 13 years in Thailand. This observational study used hospital data from the Ministry of Public Health on selected patients admitted to inpatient departments in public hospitals with mental disorders, according to ICD-10 cause groups from 2007 to 2019, counting from more than 1,90,000 cases in 2007 to more than 4,00,000 cases in 2019. Data were collected from the Thailand Ministry of Public Health website. The results indicate that compared to women, men were positively related to five mental disorders revealed by the OR and the ratio per 100,000 population (mean and SD): psychoactive alcohol use (OR = 7.31-9.07, 271.19 (59.26)), substance abuse (OR = 5.06-7.82, 59.25 (33.71)), schizophrenia (OR = 1.64-1.93, 108.32 (19.62)), mental retardation (OR = 1.15-1.58, 10.64 (1.88)), and other mental and behavioral disorders (OR = 1.10-1.55, 70.67 (22.75)). Three mental disorders in men were found to be negatively related: neurotic and related disorders (OR=.34-.46, 27.98 (3.26)), mood (affective) disorders (OR = .44-.56, 31.91 (9.59)), and dementia (OR = .78-10.82, 13.75 (2.73)). Gender can become a key biological element that contributes to the dissimilarity of mental illness. Preventive care for men and women should, therefore, be prioritized for health conditions separately. More specifically, screening and detection, and providing appropriate intervention.