Profile of substance use and health risk due to substance use in subjects attending outpatient departments of a tertiary care hospital, South India

Abstract

Background: The pattern and prevalence of substance use change from region to region and differ from country to country. Most of the people who abuse the drugs do not know the ill effects of their habit. Objective: This study aimed to assess the profile and health risk involved in each subject who used substances. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the outpatient departments of Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine of a tertiary care hospital using cross-sectional descriptive design. A screening questionnaire, “Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test” (ASSIST) was administered to assess the type of substances that had been used and the level of health risk associated with them based on the ASSIST score. Statistical Analysis: Sociodemographic variables and the level of risk were presented as frequency and percentage. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to assess the relationship between categorical variables and ASSIST scores. Results: Most of the participants participated in the present study came under moderate health-risk category. Majority of the participants 114 (53.53%) had a family history of substance use. There was a strong association for gender with alcohol and tobacco use. Conclusion: The most widely abused substances in the present setup were alcohol and tobacco.