A Cross-sectional Study of Substance Use and Its Risk Factors among School-going Adolescents in Gangtok, Sikkim
Priya Kharel, Sumit KarAbstract
Introduction:
Substance use in adolescents is a major public health problem. It can lead to various consequences including effects on mental health, automobile accidents, skipping school, etc. This study aims to find the prevalence and risk factors of substance use among adolescent students of Sikkim, India.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out among school-going adolescents from randomly selected senior secondary schools of Gangtok. A total of 425 students from different schools were enrolled by the systematic random sampling using probability proportional to the size sampling technique. The purpose of the study was explained and written informed consent from the teachers and assent from the participants was taken. A self-administered, pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used for the data collection.
Results:
The prevalence of substance use among the study participants was 34%. The most common substance used by the participants was alcohol (28.9%), followed by cigarettes (18.6%), cannabis (9.9%), smokeless tobacco (8%), bhaang (5.6%), codeine (4%), inhalants (2.8%), N10 (0.2%) and brown sugar (0.2%). Majority (68%) of the participants started using substance in the age between 10 and 15 years. The factors such as age, religion, use of substance by family member and parents’ occupation were significantly associated with the use of substance.
Conclusion:
The present study reflects the problem of substance use among the adolescents and its risk factors, which can be considered by policy-makers for developing preventive strategies.