Drug use among the student population of the University of Porto: Analysis of prevalence patterns

Abstract

Background: Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs use by university students is a complex issue that has garnered concern and interest from public health officials, educators, and scientific community [1]. This concern is driven by various factors, including the potential to affect academic performance and mental and physical health. Objective: This study was designed to determine the prevalence and patterns of psychotropic drug use among students at the University of Porto (UP). Methods: This was an observational, transversal, and descriptive study approved by the Ethics Committee of CHUP/ICBAS (2021/CE/P006[P346/CETI/ICBAS]). Voluntary participants (n=4,052) from the student body of UP enrolled in the academic year 2021/2022 completed a web-based questionnaire assessing self-reported drug use across a range of specified psychoactive substances, between February and April of 2022. Gender, age, living situation, economic status, drug use patterns and intent were also collected and used as stratification and association variables. Results: The three most consumed substances were alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis and its derivatives (CAD). Notably, 23.0% of respondents declared smoking cigarettes every day, while only 1.8% of alcohol users drank every day (36.8% drank it 2-4 times per month). “Nightclubs and bars” and “other people’s homes” were the most cited locations for alcohol and cigarette use. Illicit drugs have more variety when it comes to settings depending on their usual context and motive for use. "Have fun" was reported by half of the students as the reason for drinking alcohol, while curiosity was the main drive for smoking tobacco and CAD. Conclusions: Students have access to and consume different (il)licit drugs. These results confirm the importance of this type of research, tracing a more defined image of the drug use prevalence patterns of this population, which in turn can aid health officials and other institutions when constructing and enforcing population-specific prevention and drug treatment measures.