Abstract
The abuse of multiple substances continues to be a major public health concern in the United States, Latin America and other countries in the world. Recent studies have revealed that polydrug use has increased in many European countries. The main objective of this study was to determine the patterns of polydrug use in several Latin American countries. The data for this study was derived from separate studies conducted in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay and Peru. In each country a household survey was conducted using a multistage, stratified, cluster sample design. In all six countries, probabilistic samples of household residents aged 12 to 65 years of age were selected in three stages. The data were collected by a face to face interview using the same structured questionnaire, which was based on the Inter-American Uniform Drug Use Data System (SIDUC). A multivariate ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to assess the effects of country of origin on polydrug use, after adjusting for age and gender. The overall prevalence of polydrug use was 21%. The multivariate ordinal logistic regression model showed that males, participants aged 18 to 34 years and those from Chile, Uruguay and Argentina were significantly more likely to be polydrug users after adjusting for age and sex. This is the first study that documents the burden of polydrug use in Latin American countries. Future epidemiological studies should be conducted to examine the relationship between other demographic characteristics and risk behaviors with patterns of polydrug use.
Highlights
The abuse of multiple substances continues to be a major public health concern in the United States (U.S.), Latin America and other countries in the world
The data were collected by a face to face interview using the same structured questionnaire, which was based on the Inter-American Uniform Drug Use Data System (SIDUC)
This study showed that 20.9% of individuals aged 12-65 years reported polydrug use in six different Latin American countries
Summary
The abuse of multiple substances continues to be a major public health concern in the United States (U.S.), Latin America and other countries in the world. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in 2005, 56% of all admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities were for multiple substances; among these admissions, 76% abused alcohol, 55% abused marijuana, 48% abused cocaine, 27% abused opiates, and 26% abused other drugs In the U.S, of the estimated 188,981 alcohol-related emergency department visits made by patients aged 12 to 20 in 2008, 70.0% involved alcohol only, and 30.0% involved alcohol in combination with other drugs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration & Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2011). Marijuana was the most common illicit drug reported (57.3%), followed by cocaine (13.3%), illicit stimulants (i.e., amphetamines and methamphetamines; 4.9%), and heroin (3.9%)
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