Substance use disorder and risk behaviors among secondary school adolescents in a rural area in Egypt

Abstract

Objective The aim was to sssess prevalence of substance use and the associated risky behaviors among adolescents. Background Adolescents often engage in risky behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, and early unprotected sex. When adolescents take one risk, they also tend to take other risks. Participants and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the context of time frame of 19 months. Sample size was 140 secondary schools adolescents, from two schools in a rural village academic year 2017–2018. Participants were randomly selected and assessed for substance use and risky behaviors using a predesigned questionnaire. Results Prevalence of substance use was 18.6%, and the most used substance was cannabis followed by bango and tramadol. Substance use was positively related to risk for use of unprescribed medications (P Conclusion Substance use was common among secondary school students in Egyptian villages. It was correlated to smoking, alcohol consumption, electronic devices' misuse, risky sexual acts, suicidal tendency, and risky driving. Moreover, substance use was inversely related to religious commitment and having hobbies.