Tobacco, alcohol and drugs use among high school students.

Abstract

Introduction: Information on the use of tobacco and other illicit substances by young people is an essential element for the implementation of appropriate preventive measures.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of smoking, alcohol and drug use among high school students in the city of Gabes.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey carried out in 2022 in 5 schools in the city of Gabes, southern Tunisia, by a self-administered questionnaire.

Results: We included a total of 507 students (47% male) with an average age of 15.6 years. The overall smoking prevalence was 22.1%. The respondents were daily smokers in 22.1% of cases with an average consumption of 10 cigarettes/day in 62.5% of cases. The age of onset of smoking was less than 10 years in 31.2% of cases. The prevalence of electronic cigarette use was 12%. The prevalence of chewing tobacco consumption (Neffa) was 9.1%. Seventy-four of the respondents (14.6%) used hookah. The prevalence of alcohol consumption was 5.9%. Twenty-four students (4.7%) used drugs: cannabis (87.5%) and psychotropic drugs without a medical prescription (12.5%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among high school students in the city of Gabes was high. This behavior was associated with the consumption of alcohol and psychoactive substances. These results should be used to set up primary prevention programs for young people in order to minimize the scourge of tobacco and psychoactive substance use in schools.