Publication:

Correlates of substance misuse among college-going male students in Chandigarh

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines substance misuse as “consistent or occasional use of a drug inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice”. The implementation of evidence-based policies, rules, and interventions targeted at preventing substance abuse and promoting healthier campus settings can result from an understanding of the specific issues associated with substance mis-use among children, particularly college students.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 college students in Chandigarh, selected through stratified multi-stage random sampling. A self-administered, semi-structured, and validated questionnaire was used for collecting data. The data was analyzed using SPSS-26.0.

Results Out of 256 respondents, 157 (61.3%) reported not using any substance. The prevalence of substance use among them was found 38.7%. Among substance users, smoking was the most commonly used (82.8%) followed by drinking (75.7%) and chewing (26.2%). Inhaling was also emerging as substance misuse (4.0%). Prevalence rates among different disciplines varied significantly, law students (100.0%) followed by arts (40.0%), commerce (36.4%), medical (34.9%), and engineering (32.3%). Students irrespective of socio-demographic factors were at equal risk of substance misuse based on the logistic regression.

Conclusions Based on the study’s findings in demographics, it was determined that age, discipline, mother’s educational level, and current living situation have a significant association with substance misuse.