Trends in Lifetime Cannabis Use among Czech School-aged Children from 2002 to 2014.

Abstract

SUMMARYObjective: The aim of the study was to examine trends in the prevalence of lifetime cannabis use among the Czech 15-year old students. Methods: Data from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey, conducted in the Czech Republic in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, were used. Trends in cannabis use among both boys and girls were modelled through binary logistic regression with period as a predictor of the lifetime cannabis use.Results: The prevalence of lifetime cannabis use has significantly decreased among young Czechs, particularly among boys. Gender differences in cannabis use have been also gradually decreasing since 2002, with no significant differences between genders in recent period.Conclusions: Although there are positive changes in the prevalence of adolescent cannabis use, from the European perspective, Czech students still belong to those with significantly higher rates in this respect. Thus, alongside with the use of other substances, adolescent cannabis consumption remains an important challenge for the national public health policy.

Changing Trends in Adolescent Alcohol Use among Czech School-Aged Children from 1994 to 2014

“…adolescent tobacco smoking and marijuana use. 18,25,26 In this regard, results of both HBSC and ESPAD yielded congruent findings and confirmed the general decrease of substance use among Czech adolescents in the recent periods. For example, the current smoking prevalence rates among 15-year-old students, derived from the recent Czech HBSC surveys, dropped from 25.0% in 2010 to 13.3% in 2014, proportionally in both genders.…”

“…18 Similarly, the prevalence of lifetime marijuana use among 15-yearold respondents, as reported by the HBSC, declined from 30.5% in 2010 to 23.1% in 2014, as reported by the ESPAD from 42.3% in 2011 to 36.8% in 2015 (in the ESPAD, the prevalence of marijuana use and/or hashish together). 18,26 Since the use of one type of a substance is usually correlated to the use of other substance(s), 27 these findings point to rather general decrease of adolescent substance use. At the same time, these findings are concordant to the above-mentioned hypothesis on ongoing changes in leisure time preferences among the contemporary Czech youth, resulting in an overall decrease of substance use in this specific population group.…”

Prevalencia de vida y factores asociados al consumo de marihuana en estudiantes escolarizados de Pamplona-Colombia, durante el primer período de 2015: estudio Emtamplona

“…En Montería, Colombia, en el año 2013, se encontró que el consumo de vida fue de 12,1% en estudiantes entre 13 y 18 años 19 ; recientemente, en Chicoral, Tolima, en el año 2012, se encontró que 4,9% de los adolescentes entre 8 y 17 años habían consumido marihuana al menos una vez en la vida 20 . En Pamplona, en el año 2013, estudiantes universitarios entre 18 y 25 años de edad acusaron que 25% de ellos habían consumido marihuana alguna vez en su vida, y alrededor de 7% la había consumido durante el último mes 21 diferentes prevalencias de vida en adolescentes, como los documentados en República Checa, durante el año 2014, fue 23,1% 29 , y en Islandia, en el año 2015, fue de 8,0% 30 . La prevalencia por sexo mostró que 12,3% de los hombres y 8,4% de las mujeres reportaron haber fumado marihuana, estos resultados son superiores a los hallados en el estudio nacional de sustancias psicoactivas en el año 2011, en el que se reportó una prevalencia mayor para el sexo masculino (8,6% vs 5,5%) 18 .…”

“…Un estudio previo realizado en Pamplona, con población universitaria, mostró que los hombres eran quienes tenían una mayor prevalencia de vida (25,9% vs 15,6%) 21 . Por otro lado, en países europeos, como República Checa, en el año 2014 29 , se observó que las prevalencias de vida no muestran diferencias por sexo (femenino 23,3% vs masculino 22,8%); este resultado es similar al reportado por Armason et al 30 en adolescentes de Islandia, en el año 2015 (8,0% versus 8,1%).…”

Legislative Norms to Control Cannabis Use in the Light of Its Prevalence in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary

“…To monitor availability of cannabis, lifetime use in adolescents can be considered as an appropriate indicator (14). In this aspect, an adolescent population is a key target group since this age is particularly linked to initiation and development of illicit substance use (15). The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) provides relevant and representative epidemiological data to evaluate epidemiological situation and extent of the problem in the community (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21).…”