Pattern of Substance Abuse among Children in Slum Areas of India

Abstract

Background: We have been facing a frightening rise of substance abuse among the youngsters in recent years. Further, the problem is seen across all socioeconomic groups, from urban areas to small towns. However new substances are being abused which have also been documented. Substance abuse primarily among youth has been a matter of concern throughout the world. Study Design: It’s a descriptive cross sectional study, done in collaboration with NGO (Balbhavan Project) working in slum areas of Ahmednagar. Duration of Study: 6 months. Material and Methods: Considering the time frame for the study, Research was carried out with the help of NGO working in slum areas of Ahmednagar and children fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected with the help of predesigned questionnaire. It was estimated that the total sample size will be about 246 children who are using substances. (Calculated by open Epi Software).Results: The Result obtained at the end of our study was quite shocking. It was found that in slum area 87% children were drug abusers, among which 83% were boys and 17% were girls. A high correlation of substance abuse was found with increasing age. Most abused substance among them was Tobacco, Alcohol, Inhalants, Sedative and opium.