Correlates of substance misuse among college-going male students in Chandigarh

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines substance misuse as “consistent or occasional use of a drug inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice”. The implementation of evidence-based policies, rules, and interventions targeted at preventing substance abuse and promoting healthier campus settings can result from an understanding of the specific issues associated with substance mis-use among children, particularly college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 college students in Chandigarh, selected through stratified multi-stage random sampling. A self-administered, semi-structured, and validated questionnaire was used for collecting data. The data was analyzed using SPSS-26.0. Results: Out of 256 respondents, 157 (61.3%) reported not using any substance. The prevalence of substance use among them was found 38.7%. Among substance users, smoking was the most commonly used (82.8%) followed by drinking (75.7%) and chewing (26.2%). Inhaling was also emerging as substance misuse (4.0%). Prevalence rates among different disciplines varied significantly, law students (100.0%) followed by arts (40.0%), commerce (36.4%), medical (34.9%), and engineering (32.3%). Students irrespective of socio-demographic factors were at equal risk of substance misuse based on the logistic regression. Conclusions: Based on the study’s findings in demographics, it was determined that age, discipline, mother’s educational level, and current living situation have a significant association with substance misuse.