engleski

Illicit drug use among Croatian university students

Background: Illicit drug (ID) use among university students has been recognized as a global public health issue in recent years. It has been emphasized that during university years’ opportunities to experiment with ID increases due to the fact that this is a period of life characterized by transition, intense academic pressures as well as independence and separation from parental supervision. The aim of this study was to identify prevalence and characteristics of ID use among Croatian university students. Methods: This was a multicentric, cross-sectional study that included five Croatian universities. A validated, anonymous online questionnaire containing questions regarding demographic and data regarding ID, alcohol and tobacco use was self-administered to cross-faculty representative student sample of University of Osijek, Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Zadar during November 2018. Results: The study sample included 888 students, the average age being 21.9 years (range 18-34) ; 18.4% males and 81.6% females. The overall prevalence of ID use among Croatian university students was 29.8%. The ID use was more frequent among males (p = 0.001) and among students who repeated the study year (p < 0.001). The study further revealed that there were 48.4% students who tried any type of ID during life. The majority of students tried ID for the first time during high school period (34.1%), when socializing with friends in open spaces such as parks (20.6%) and main reason for usage was to have fun (40.5%). The study also showed that there were statistically significant Spearman rank correlations between ID and alcohol use (p < 0.001) as well as between ID and tobacco use (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The usage of ID is highly prevalent among Croatian university students in participating universities. Further studies are needed to identify and explain other possible risk factors for this phenomenon. Key messages: Illicit drug use is an important but poorly investigated public health issue among Croatian university students. Better understanding of specific characteristic and possible risk factor for illicit drug use among university student population will ensure development of preventive programs.

illicit drug use ; university students ; prevention ; Croatia

nije evidentirano