Prevalence of Substance Use among Medical and non-Medical Students in the University of Kufa

Abstract

Background: Substance use involves psychoactive drug consumption (both legal and illegal), including alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine, and medically restricted drugs. It's a global public health issue, with over 275 million people (over 5% of the global population aged 15-64) using substances, with a 22% increase since 2010. In Iraq, substance use is a major concern, especially among males. This study aims to assess the prevalence of substance use among students in the University of Kufa, and to identify its associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in the University of Kufa during the period from February 15th till March 15th, 2023. Socio-demographic data was collected using a specially designed questionnaire and a total of (396) participants from four different colleges were randomly selected.

Results: The study enrolled (396) participants with almost equal proportion from each of the included colleges. Mean age was (21.4 ± 2.2) years. More than half of the participants were females. Tobacco use was the most common used substance within recent year (19.9%) which was significantly higher among males (P-value < 0.001). Pain killers use was the second most common (10.1%) with a significantly higher prevalence among females (P-value = 0.002).

Conclusion: This study concludes that substance use is present among college students, mainly of tobacco and pain killers. Peer pressure was one of the important factors that influence substance use, especially among the vulnerable age group of 20-24 years.