Abstract
BackgroundInformation technology in health sciences could be a screening tool of great potential and has been shown to be effective in identifying single-drug users at risk. Although there are many published tests for single-drug screening, there is a gap for concomitant drug use screening in general population. The ASSIST (Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) website was launched on February 2015 in Madrid, Spain, as a tool to identify those at risk.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the use of a tool and to analyze profiles of drug users, their consumption patterns, and associated factors.MethodsGovernment- and press-released launching of a Spanish-validated ASSIST test from the World Health Organization (WHO) was used for voluntary Web-based screening of people with drug-related problems. The tests completed in the first 6 months were analyzed .ResultsA total of 1657 visitors of the 15,867 visits (1657/15,867, 10.44%) completed the whole Web-based screening over a 6-month period. The users had an average age of 37.4 years, and 78.87% (1307/1657) screened positive for at least one of the 9 drugs tested. The drugs with higher prevalence were tobacco (840/1657, 50.69%), alcohol (437/1657, 26.37%), cannabis (361/1657, 21.79%), and sedatives or hypnotics (192/1657, 11.59%). Polyconsumption or concomitant drug use was stated by 31.80% (527/1657) of the users. Male respondents had a higher risk of having alcohol problems (odds ratio, OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18-2.04; P=.002) and double the risk for cannabis problems (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.46-2.92; P<.001). Growing age increased by 3 times the risk of developing alcohol problems for people aged between 45 and 65 years (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.89-4.79; P<.001).ConclusionsA Web-based screening test could be useful to detect people at risk. The drug-related problem rates detected by the study are consistent with the current literature. This tool could be useful for users, who use information technology on a daily basis, not seeking medical attention.
Highlights
From illicit cultivation and production to trafficking and use, the world drug problem, with all its ramifications, is intertwined with a vast array of social, economic and environmental issues
Development and countering the world drug problem need to work in symbiosis Many drug policy interventions directly or indirectly result in an improvement in the level of development of their target populations, while operations designed to improve sustainable development often address the vulnerability of people or communities affected by the drug problem and can help address it
--- To ensure that “no one is left behind”, by, for example, considering the special needs of men who have sex with men when targeting the spread of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs (PWID), and the special needs of migrants, including international as well as internal migrants, who can be vulnerable to drug use
Summary
“We reiterate our commitment to strengthen our efforts in addressing and countering emerging and persistent challenges and threats of all aspects of the world drug problem ... and we recommend the following: ... promote, as appropriate, the use and analysis of relevant, reliable and objective data ... to improve the implementation of comprehensive, integrated and balanced national drug control strategies, policies and programmes. It reviews the scientific evidence on polydrug use, treatment demand for cannabis and developments since the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in some parts of the world. PWID experience some of the most severe health-related harms associated with unsafe drug use, overall poor health outcomes, including a high risk of non-fatal and fatal overdoses, and a greater chance of premature death. The fact that a sharp increase in heroin use has been documented in some markets ( North America) where it was previously declining, shows that heroin remains one of the major drugs of public health concern
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