Abstract

COGOLLO MILANES, Zuleima  and  GOMEZ-BUSTAMANTE, Edna. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Illegal Substance Use in Cartagena, Colombia. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.4, pp.723-733. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction: The use of illegal substances is a public health problem due to the individual and social harm it causes. The most recent national study reported high prevalence of illegal substance use among adults. A small sample of people from Cartagena, Colombia participated in the present research. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with illicit substance use among adults in Cartagena. Method: A cross-sectional research was carried out. Adults between the ages of 18 and 49 years completed a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, current or lifetime use of illegal substances, CAGE questionnaire, WHO-5 index, and family APGAR scale. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done. Results: A total of 609 adults completed the questionnaire, mean age was 29.7 years (SD=10.1). A group of 112 participants (18.4%) reported illegal substance use once in a lifetime. Illegal substance use was associated with daily smoking, family dysfunction, being male, low self-esteem, problematic use of alcohol, and less religiosity. Conclusion: The prevalence of illegal substance use is high in Cartagena. It is associated with male gender, daily smoking, problematic use of alcohol, family dysfunction, low self-esteem, and less religiosity.

Keywords : Substance-related disorders; prevalence; risk factors; cross-sectional studies.

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