Drug Use and its correlated factors among University students in Tehran

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of lifetime, last year, and last month use of illicit drugs (opioids, cannabis, stimulants, and hallucinogens) and associated factors among the first to fourth-year students at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Method: The sampling method was multi-stage cluster sampling. Anonymous, self-administered questionnaires used in the previous similar surveys were distributed to 1050 students. We provided prevalence of lifetime, last 12 months, last month, and daily use for the main classes of drugs. We evaluated correlated factors of any drug use in the past 12 months using the bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Overall, 945 students participated in this study. A total of 6.6% reported any illicit drug use in the past 12 months (11.2% among male students vs. 3.1% among female students, P > 0.05). Cannabis was the most used drug in the past year by both male and female students, reported by 4.9% of the participants, followed by methylphenidate (2.9%). Daily use of any illicit drug was reported only by 0.7% of male students and no female students. There was an association between illicit drug use in the past 12 months with smoking cigarettes and using alcohol in the past 12 months and drug use among friends or family members. Conclusions: In general, the prevalence of drug use among the students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences has increased compared to similar previous studies, which call for preventive measures.