Prevalence of Substance Use Among Dental Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Although substance use has increased in recent years in Turkey, it is still lower than in other European countries. Turkey is home to the largest Syrian refugee population. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and substance use among local people living in city centers and refugees living in refugee camps in Şanlıurfa. The study was based on a cross-sectional epidemiologic survey conducted with a total of 6041 people, 4040 (67%) from camps and 2001 (33%) from districts. Face-to-face interviews were accompanied by local interviewers or interpreters who spoke Arabic, and a survey form used in our country for drug addiction screening was used. According to the number of samples selected, households with proportional distribution were chosen from the districts, which were selected from the address based from Turkish Statistical Institute. In the refugee camps, interviews were conducted in tents selected using a random numbers table according to the number of samples. The lifetime prevalence of tobacco use was 22.3% (n=902) in the camps, whereas in the districts this rate was 33.5% (n=670). The lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was found as 0.2% in the camps and 3.5% in the districts. The lifetime prevalence of substance use was found as 2.6% in the camps and 4.3% in the districts. The most commonly used substance type was cannabis. Some 45.7% of the people who used a substance in the camps were male and 54.3% were female. In districts, these rates were 64.4% and 35.6%, respectively. Alcohol and substance use rates are low in Turkey compared with most countries in the world. Substance use in the city center is higher than in refugee camps in Şanlıurfa. Substance use is a significant mental health problem that concerns every community including refugees. Identifying characteristics and attitudes related to substance use may help to improve policies regarding protective measures.

Background and AimsSubstance use among medical students may have consequences like poor academic performance and impaired patient care. There is a growing literature on substance use among medical students in India. This systematic review and meta-analysis were done to synthesize the literature on substance use among medical students in India.MethodsMedline and Google Scholar were used as search engines to ascertain the literature that reported substance use among Indian medical students from January 2000 to January 2022. The pooled prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, other substance, and overall substance use was computed.ResultsA total of 65 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of tobacco use was 21.9% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 18.5% to 25.3%, n = 20,165, k = 51), while the pooled prevalence of alcohol use was 27.1% (95% CI of 23.0% to 31.1%, n = 11,823, k = 31). The overall pooled prevalence of substance use was 40.3% (95% CI of 25.5% to 55.2%, n = 4960, k = 10), while pooled prevalence of cannabis was 8.2% (95% CI of 4.9% to 11.5%, n = 2418, k = 7). The use of tobacco was about 10 times higher in males than females, while the odds of alcohol use were about five times higher in males.ConclusionSubstance use is common among medical students, with rates of substance use being generally higher in males as compared to females. Targeted interventions may help to reduce substance use and prevent the development of substance use disorders in this population.

AimIndividuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) often present with substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs). However, the prevalence of substance use and SUDs in AN has not been studied in-depth, especially the differences in the prevalence of SUDs between AN types [e.g., AN-R (restrictive type) and AN-BP (binge-eating/purge type]. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of SUDs and substance use in AN samples.MethodSystematic database searches of the peer-reviewed literature were conducted in the following online databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and CINAHL from inception to January 2021. We restricted review eligibility to peer-reviewed research studies reporting the prevalence for either SUDs or substance use in individuals with AN. Random-effects meta-analyses using Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformations were performed on eligible studies to estimate pooled proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsFifty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, including 14,695 individuals identified as having AN (mean age: 22.82 years). Random pooled estimates showed that substance use disorders had a 16% prevalence in those with AN (AN-BP = 18% vs. AN-R = 7%). Drug abuse/dependence disorders had a prevalence of 7% in AN (AN-BP = 9% vs. AN-R = 5%). In studies that looked at specific abuse/dependence disorders, there was a 10% prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence in AN (AN-BP = 15% vs. AN-R = 3%) and a 6% prevalence of cannabis abuse/dependence (AN-BP = 4% vs. AN-R = 0%). In addition, in terms of substance use, there was a 37% prevalence for caffeine use, 29% prevalence for alcohol use, 25% for tobacco use, and 14% for cannabis use in individuals with AN.ConclusionThis is the most comprehensive meta-analysis on the comorbid prevalence of SUDs and substance use in persons with AN, with an overall pooled prevalence of 16%. Comorbid SUDs, including drugs, alcohol, and cannabis, were all more common in AN-BP compared to AN-R throughout. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of SUD comorbidity and substance use in individuals with AN. Finally, clinicians should consider screening for SUDs and integrating treatments that target SUDs in individuals with AN.Plain English SummaryIndividuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) may also present with substance use or have a substance use disorder (SUDs). Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of substance use and substance use disorders in individuals with AN. We examined published studies that reported the prevalence of either substance use or SUDs in individuals with AN. We found that substance use disorders had a 16% prevalence and that drug abuse/dependence disorders had a prevalence of 7% in those with AN. These rates were much higher in individuals with binge-eating/purging type compared to the restrictive AN. However, many specific substance use disorders and substance use types were low in individuals with AN. Nonetheless, clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of SUD comorbidity and substance use in individuals with AN.

Prevalence of substance use and awareness about its ill effects among people residing in a rural village in Chamarajanagara district, Karnataka

Background There is a co-occurrence of adolescents' substance use and sexual practices, with an important impact on their health and health behaviours; however, limited research is conducted with adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of substance use (alcohol and/or other substances) in sexual contexts and to identify its associated factors among adolescents, comparing boys and girls. Methods Cross-sectional study with data from 6352 adolescents aged 14----18years from the DESKcohort project. Prevalence of alcohol and/or other substance use in sexual contexts (OSUSC) stratified by sex were calculated, according to axes of inequality, psychosocial factors, and sexual health and health variables. Poisson regression models with robust variance were calculated to analyse potential associations with independent variables. Results Girls (51.4% of the sample) reported a higher prevalence of alcohol use in sexual contexts than boys (43.9% vs 33.9%, P Conclusions These findings suggest that substance use in sexual contexts reflects a broader pattern of co-occurring risky behaviours rather than intentional sexualised substance use. Some vulnerable groups include girls, adolescents with a minority sexual orientation, and students with disadvantaged SEPs. These findings underscore the need for holistic interventions targeting adolescents' health, addressing substance use and sexual risk behaviours simultaneously to reduce potential consequences such as unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

BackgroundAlthough previous studies have provided data on early pandemic periods of alcohol and substance use in adolescents, more adequate studies are needed to predict the trends of alcohol and substance use during recent periods, including the mid-pandemic period. This study investigated the changes in alcohol and substance use, except tobacco use, throughout the pre-, early-, and mid-pandemic periods in adolescents using a nationwide serial cross-sectional survey from South Korea.MethodsData on 1,109,776 Korean adolescents aged 13–18 years from 2005 to 2021 were obtained in a survey operated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. We evaluated adolescents’ alcohol and substance consumption prevalence and compared the slope of alcohol and substance prevalence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to see the trend changes. We define the pre-COVID-19 period as consisting of four groups of consecutive years (2005–2008, 2009–2012, 2013–2015, and 2016–2019). The COVID-19 pandemic period is composed of 2020 (early-pandemic era) and 2021 (mid-pandemic era).ResultsMore than a million adolescents successfully met the inclusion criteria. The weighted prevalence of current alcohol use was 26.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 26.4–27.1] from 2005 to 2008 and 10.5% (95% CI 10.1–11.0) in 2020 and 2021. The weighted prevalence of substance use was 1.1% (95% CI 1.1–1.2) from 2005 to 2008 and 0.7% (95% CI 0.6–0.7) between 2020 and 2021. From 2005 to 2021, the overall trend of use of both alcohol and drugs was found to decrease, but the decline has slowed since COVID-19 epidemic (current alcohol use: βdiff 0.167; 95% CI 0.150–0.184; substance use: βdiff 0.152; 95% CI 0.110–0.194). The changes in the slope of current alcohol and substance use showed a consistent slowdown with regard to sex, grade, residence area, and smoking status from 2005 to 2021.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of alcohol consumption and substance use among over one million Korean adolescents from the early and mid-stage (2020–2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a slower decline than expected given the increase during the prepandemic period (2005–2019).Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12519-023-00715-9.

Introduction: Medical and Dental students are vulnerable to higher levels of psychological distress than other age matched peers. Many studies reveal that there is high prevalence of psychoactive substance use and psychiatric co-morbidities among them.
 Objective: To identify prevalence of substance use (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis) among medical and dental students.
 Methods: A cross sectional study was done among medical and dental students (2nd year to interns) of B PKIHS. A total of 600 students were enrolled through systematic random sampling and only 588(98%) responded. Semi-structured questionnaire was used which included socio-demographic variables, AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), Fagerstrom (for Nicotine dependence) and Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST).
 Result: The mean age of participants was 22±2years. Among them, 61.2% (360) were male; 69.7% (410) were MBBS; 90.5% (532) were Nepalese and 9.5% (56) were Indians. The prevalence of alcohol users was 47.75% (281) in which 32% (90) were harmful users. Among 19.55% (115) nicotine users; 56.5% (65), 37.4% (43), 6.1% (7) had low, low to moderate and moderate dependence respectively. The prevalence of cannabis users was 9% (53) with 45.3% (24), 18.9% (10) having low and high addiction respectively.
 Conclusion: High percentage of medical and dental students showed substance use, harmful use and dependence. It is expected that they have knowledge about the harmful consequences of psychoactive substances.

BackgroundThe prevalence and burden of substance and opium use have increased worldwide over the past decades. In light of rapid population changes in Tehran, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of opium and other substance use among adult residents in Tehran, Iran.MethodFrom March 2016 to March 2019, we utilized data from 8 296 participants in the Tehran Cohort Study recruitment phase (TeCS). We calculated the age-sex-weighted prevalence of substance use and the geographic distribution of substance use in Tehran. We also used logistic regression analysis to determine possible determinants of opium use.ResultWe analyzed data from 8 259 eligible participants with complete substance use data and the average age of participants was 53.7 ± 12.75 years. The prevalence of substance use was 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6- 7.1%). Substance use was more common in males than females (Prevalence: 10.5% [95% CI: 8.6- 12.6%] vs. 0.5% [95% CI: 0.2- 1.2%], respectively). The age-sex weighted prevalence of substance use was 5.4% (95% CI: 4.6-7.1%). Moreover, opium was the most frequently used substance by 95.8% of substance users. Additionally, we found that male gender (Odds ratio [OR]: 12.1, P < 0.001), alcohol intake (OR: 1.3, P = 0.016), and smoking (OR: 8.5, P < 0.001) were independently associated with opium use.ConclusionsWe found that the prevalence of substance use in Tehran was 5.6%, and opium was the most frequently used substance. In addition, male gender, lower levels of education, alcohol, and tobacco consumption are the main risk factors for substance use in Tehran. Healthcare providers and policymakers can utilize our results to implement preventive strategies to minimize substance use in Tehran.

Tobacco, alcohol and cannabis are psychoactive substances that is often tried for the first time during adolescence and further continued in later life. Regular tobacco and cannabis use as well as alcohol abuse are associated with serious health consequences. According to the importance of health reporting, this article describes current prevalence of adolescent substance use and the associations between psychoactive substance use and specific social determinants. Representative data for Germany from the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study among schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15 years are used. The article analyses both, the lifetime and 30-day prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use (in the latter case, data were only available for 15-year-olds) among adolescents as well as their experiences of alcohol-related misuse (binge drinking). Tobacco and alcohol are used comparatively rarely by 11- and 13-year-olds. However, the prevalence increases significantly among 15-year-olds. In addition, cannabis use is also quite common among this age group. Schoolchildren who do not attend grammar schools are at greater risk of smoking and those with high family affluence are at a greater risk of alcohol use, this applies particularly to girls. Finally, adolescents with a migration background are less at risk of regular alcohol use or binge drinking, but face an increased risk of cannabis use (girls with one-sided migration background). The results indicate that prevention measures should start early, as the prevalence of substance use is significantly higher among older schoolchildren. Depending on the substance, different risk groups can be identified that require particular consideration when drawing up preventive measures.

Substance use right before or during work (hereinafter, "substance use in the workplace") poses significant health risks to users, colleagues, and the public in the workplace. However, less clear are figures on recent prevalence, characteristics of those engaging in such behaviors, and variations across occupations. This study examines the prevalence of substance use in the workplace, individual and work-related characteristics, and substance use risks across different occupations among a nationally representative sample of workers in their early 30 s-a period of heightened substance use. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) were analyzed, focusing on 6155 respondents. Past-month prevalence of substance use in the workplace (separately for any substance, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine/hard drugs) was assessed overall and by occupation using the Census 2002 Standard Occupational Classification. Multivariable Poisson regression models tested associations between occupation and substance use, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. In the past month, 8.9% of workers reported any substance use in the workplace, including 5.9% for alcohol, 3.1% for marijuana, and 0.8% for cocaine/hard drugs. Prevalence was highest in food preparation/serving occupations, followed by safety-sensitive occupations. Our models indicated higher risks for all types of substance use among food preparation/serving workers, higher alcohol use among white-collar workers, and elevated alcohol and marijuana use in safety-sensitive occupations. The substantial prevalence of workforce substance use among individuals in their early 30 s raises public health concerns, underscoring the need for workplace interventions addressing occupation-specific patterns of alcohol and marijuana use.

BackgroundSubstance use is a major public health concern in global settings, and is very common during adolescence period leading to physical and/or mental health complications. This study assessed the prevalence of substance use and associated factors among high school adolescents in Woreta Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2012.MethodsA school based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 7 to April 15, 2012 amongst 684 9th to 12th grade high school students in the town of Woreta. Participants were selected by stratified sampling, and data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire adapted from the 2008 Community That Care Youth Survey. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with substance use.ResultsA total of 651 students participated in the study with a response rate of 95.2%. The current prevalence of substance use among Woreta high school students was 47.9% and life-time prevalence was 65.4%. The current and lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was 40.9% and 59% respectively. Siblings’ use of substances (AOR [95% CI]: 2.72 [1.79, 4.14]), family history of alcohol and substance use (AOR [95% CI] 2.24 [1.39-3.59]) and friends’ use of substances (AOR [95% CI] 2.14 [1.44-3.18]) were factors positively associated with substance use. On the other hand, religiosity and social skill were found to be 54% (AOR [95% CI] 0.46, [0.31-0.68]) and 39% (AOR [95% CI] 0.6 [0.40-0.91]) negatively associated with substance use.ConclusionsThe prevalence of substance use amongst adolescents was high for the three substances namely alcohol, cigarette and khat with alcohol being the most common. Community norms favorable to substance use, family history of alcohol and substance use, siblings’ substance use, poor academic performance, low perceived risk of substances and friends’ use of substances had positive association with adolescent substance use while religiosity and social skills were found to have negative association with adolescent substance use. Initiate public awareness campaigns to inform adolescents and adults, particularly parents, of the risk of substance use. Developing culture friendly, gender based adolescent and family based programs and initiating public awareness are recommended to decrease substance use by adolescents.

Background Drug abuse has been considered a male problem. Studies from several areas including epidemiology, behavioural pharmacology and neurosciences have taken a male-centric approach when analysing factors and/or treatments that influence drug abuse. This approach has led to a neglect of factors underlying drug abuse in women. Therefore, the extent and effects of drug abuse on women are not fully understood. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of substance misuse and dependence among women residing in Cairo, Egypt. Participants and methods This is the fourth phase of the National Addiction Research Program. A total of 12 708 female residents from Cairo were interviewed in two waves: 2008 and 2009, according to a stratified sampling design. A specially designed questionnaire with questions derived from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was applied to all participants. Results A total of 3413 participants reported having tried smoking at least once in their life (26.8%), and 1802 participants reported using illicit substances at least once in their life (14.2%). Recreational and occasional patterns of substance use were reported by 2.5 and 2% of women, respectively, whereas regular use and abuse/dependence were more common (4.8 and 4.9%, respectively). Lower levels of education are related to higher prevalence of substance use, as well as higher prevalence of substance use in the separated, widow and divorced than single than married females. Women in the age range of 20-35 years had the highest rate of substance use. Cannabinoids were the most frequently used substances among the study sample (6.9%), followed by alcohol (3.8%) and opioids (2.7%). Conclusion The prevalence of substance use among women in Cairo is increasing (compared with a similar study published in 2009). The true prevalence of substance use in Cairo is probably higher than that reported, bearing in mind the extent of under-reporting. However, the extent of abuse/dependence detected in this study is unexpectedly high, probably because of sample composition and level of researcher training.

The present study was carried out in the most populated city in Northern Nigeria that is believed to have the highest number of commercial motorcyclists and highest prevalence of psychoactive substance use in the country. Research on psychoactive substance use among motorcycle operators in Northern Nigeria is limited, despite the high level of morbidity these substances cause to them. This study aimed to study the prevalence of psychoactive substance use among motorcycle operators in Kano, North western Nigeria. The study was cross-sectional descriptive. Participants for the study were commercial motorcyclists registered with the local branch of Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owner&rsquo;s and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN). Assessment was carried out with the use of socio-demographic questionnaire and World Health Organization Student Drug Use Questionnaire (SDUQ). Data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), 17th edition. Three hundred and ninety four (394) subjects participated in the study. The results showed that the prevalence of overall psychoactive substance use was 19.3%. The prevalence of tobacco, stimulant (gadagi), and cannabis use were 19.3, 11.9 and 3.8% respectively, while the prevalence of inhalants and opiates use were 2.0 and 1.3%, respectively. There were no reported use of alcohol, benzodiazepines and cocaine. All the subjects were males, Moslems, within the age range of 22 and 60 years mean of 32.7 &plusmn; 6.6 years. They were mostly married (88.6%), and more than two third of them (70.1%) were from Kano. The study has highlighted the prevalence of substance use among commercial motorcyclists. It has important implication for policy makers to initiate primary preventive measures that could be focused towards the reduction of substance use among commercial motorcyclists in the community. Key words: Motorcycle operators, psychoactive substance, Northwestern Nigeria, Student Drug Use Questionnaire (SDUQ).

BackgroundSubstance misuse is a global public health problem. In addition to social and economic concerns, consumption of tobacco and alcohol is associated with susceptibility to cardiovascular, respiratory, and infectious diseases, cancers, and risk of transition to substance use disorders. African data suggest regional differences in the prevalence and patterns of substance use, but a number of key questions remain. This cross-sectional population-based study of middle-aged adults aims to examine prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of substance use in four sub-Saharan African countries, in rural and urban settings.MethodsParticipants aged between 40 and 60 years were recruited from six research centres as part of the Africa Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic Research study. Data on patterns of tobacco and alcohol consumption was captured, and the latter further assessed using the CAGE (cut-annoyed-guilty-eye) questionnaire.ResultsData from 10,703 participants suggested that more men (68.4%) than women (33.3%) were current substance users. The prevalence of current smoking was significantly higher in men than in women (34.5% vs 2.1%, p < 0.001). Smokeless tobacco was used more by women than men (14.4% vs 5.3%, p < 0.001). Current smoking was associated with alcohol consumption in men, and smoking cessation in men was associated with being a former drinker, having higher socio-economic status, and if married or cohabiting. Current alcohol consumption was higher in men, compared to women (60.3% vs 29.3%), and highest in men from Soweto (70.8%) and women from Nanoro (59.8%). The overall prevalence of problematic alcohol consumption among men was 18.9%, and women 7.3%. Men were significantly more likely to develop problematic drinking patterns, and this was more common in those who were divorced or widowed, and in current smokers.ConclusionsRegional variation in the patterns and prevalence of substance use was observed across study sites, and in rural and urban settings. The high levels of substance use recorded in this study are of concern due to the increased risk of associated morbidities. Further longitudinal data will be valuable in determining trends in substance misuse in Africa.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of substance use and addiction in Egypt and study its sociodemographic correlates. Method: A total of 44,000 subjects were interviewed from 8 governorates by stratified sampling. A questionnaire derived from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was individually administered. Results: The lifetime prevalence of any substance use varies between 7.25% and 14.5%. One-month prevalence varies between 5.4% and 11.5% when adjusted to different population parameters. A total of 4832 subjects were identified as using illicit substances at least once in their life (9.6%), including 1329 experimental and social use (3.3%), 1860 regular use (4.64%), and 629 substance dependence (1.6%). The prevalence of substance use in males is 13.2% and 1.1% in females. Prevalence increases significantly in males of Bedouin origin, in seaside governorates, with lesser levels of education, and in certain occupations. The 15–19 age group showed the highest onset of substance use. Cannabis is the drug mostly misused in Egypt; alcohol is a distant second. Conclusions: The prevalence of substance use is lower than Western countries and higher compared with a 1996 survey. The true population prevalence is probably higher due to underreporting. The demographic pattern reflects availability and accessibility to drugs.