Prevalence updates of substance use among Egyptian adolescents

Abstract

Background: The problem of substance use is becoming one of the most serious and rapidly growing phenomena all over the world. Efficient and well-designed prevalence studies for mental illnesses including substance use problems need to be regularly updated, in order to rearrange the prevention and management plans on a scientific basis. The aim of the study is to detect the prevalence of substance use and dependence among secondary school students, as they are one of the high-risk populations for drug use, targeting a representative sample of 10,648 of students. Results: The most commonly used substance was nicotine during lifetime (9%), last 12 months (4.9%), and last month (2.4%). After the exclusion of nicotine, benzodiazepines was the commonest substance abused (5.1%) followed by alcohol (3.3%) and organic solvents (3.1%). The most commonly used during the last 12 months was alcohol (2.9%) followed by organic solvents (2.7%) and cannabis (2.6%). The prevalence of the regular use of any substance was 1.5%, while the prevalence of the dependence syndrome was 0.9% (excluding nicotine dependence). The prevalence of intake, regular use, and dependence were all higher among males. Conclusion: The results of this study attract attention towards the substance abuse problem among adolescents in Egypt. Tobacco is the most commonly used substance followed by benzodiazepines which seemed to be used on a regular basis. Alcohol, organic solvents, and cannabis are also commonly used. Preventive services should be directed towards youth to combat these phenomena.

Substance Use among Undergraduate Students at Mizan-Tepi University in Ethiopia: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Its Effect on Health and Academic Performance

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Prevalence and predictors of alcohol use among adult males in Ethiopia: multilevel analysis of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016

“…Alcohol is one of the most used and misused substances in different societies [7]. Due to alcohol drinking, 3 million Canadians are at risk of acute illness [8]. Alcohol is widely consumed by more than half of the population in the Americas, Europe, and the Western Pacific [1].…”

Prevalence and associated risk factors of cannabinoid abuse among Egyptian university students: a cross-sectional study

“…It was estimated that 10.4% of the Egyptian population is estimated to abuse drugs, which is nearly double the world average. Unfortunately, an even higher prevalence of drug abuse was reported among high school students and teenagers (Rabie et al 2020).…”