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Prevalence and Socio-Demographic, Academic, Health and Lifestyle Predictors of Illicit Drug/s Use among University Undergraduate Students in Finland

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  • Walid El Ansari

    (Department of Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
    College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha 3050, Qatar
    School of Health and Education, University of Skovde, 541 28 Skövde, Sweden)

  • Abdul Salam

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam 31444, Saudi Arabia)

  • Sakari Suominen

    (School of Health and Education, University of Skovde, 541 28 Skövde, Sweden)

Abstract

Illicit drug/s use (IDU) among university students is a public health concern. We assessed the associations between socio-demographic, academic, and health and lifestyle characteristics (independent variables) and regular, occasional or never IDU (dependent variables). Data were collected across seven faculties (1177 students) at the University of Turku (Finland) via an online questionnaire. About 1.5% of the sample had regular IDU, 19% occasional IDU, and 79% never IDU. Independent predictors of ever (lifetime) IDU included males [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.82, P = 0.001], not living with parents (AOR 2.59, P < 0.001), singles (AOR 0.51, P < 0.001), lower religiosity (AOR 1.49, P = 0.022), better self-rated general health (AOR 0.41, P = 0.003), higher health awareness (AOR 1.93, P = 0.014), more depressive symptoms (AOR 1.82, P = 0.004), daily smokers (AOR 3.69, P < 0.001), heavy episodic drinking (AOR 2.38, P < 0.001) and possible alcohol dependency (AOR 2.55, P < 0.001). We observed no independent associations between ever IDU with age, study discipline, perceived stress or academic performance. The 20.5% ever IDU is concerning. The compelling independent predictors of ever IDU included not living with parents, lower religiosity, daily smokers, heavy episodic drinking and possible alcohol dependency (AOR range 2.38–3.69). Education and prevention need to emphasize the negative consequences to reinforce abstinence from IDU. Health promotion could focus on beliefs and expectations about IDU and target students at risk for successful efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • Walid El Ansari & Abdul Salam & Sakari Suominen, 2020. "Prevalence and Socio-Demographic, Academic, Health and Lifestyle Predictors of Illicit Drug/s Use among University Undergraduate Students in Finland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:14:p:5094-:d:384673
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Carsten Müller & Kareem El-Ansari & Walid El Ansari, 2022. "Health-Promoting Behavior and Lifestyle Characteristics of Students as a Function of Sex and Academic Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Beata Gavurova & Viera Ivankova & Martin Rigelsky, 2021. "Alcohol Use Disorders among Slovak and Czech University Students: A Closer Look at Tobacco Use, Cannabis Use and Socio-Demographic Characteristics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Walid El Ansari & Abdul Salam, 2020. "Is Achieving the Guidelines of Four Forms of Physical Activity Associated with Less Self-Reported Health Complaints? Cross-Sectional Study of Undergraduates at the University of Turku, Finland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-19, August.

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