Nada Bennani Mechita, Anas Ahmed Mountassir, Sara Messaoud, Karim Sbai Idrissi, Hafid Hachri, Khalid Saeed, Rachid Razine, Majdouline Obtel
{"title":"Prevalence of psychoactive substance use among medical students in the EMRO region.","authors":"Nada Bennani Mechita, Anas Ahmed Mountassir, Sara Messaoud, Karim Sbai Idrissi, Hafid Hachri, Khalid Saeed, Rachid Razine, Majdouline Obtel","doi":"10.4102/jphia.v16i1.1389","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The use of psychoactive substances is a growing global public health concern because of its high prevalence and associated risks of morbidity and mortality. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), this issue is particularly pressing among medical students, as it can impact their academic performance, mental health and future professional behaviour.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to determine the prevalence and patterns of psychoactive substance use among medical students in the EMRO region.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Studies conducted in the EMRO region were included in the analysis.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, identifying eligible studies. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled prevalence rates, and meta-regression was performed to assess factors influencing prevalence variation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ten studies were included in the study. The pooled prevalence of alcohol consumption among medical students was 9.52% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4.82-17.93]), which decreased to 5.92% (95% CI: [4.59-7.60]) after removing outliers (<i>I</i> <sup>2</sup> = 81.3%). Meta-regression indicated that studies with sample sizes above 500 reported lower prevalence than smaller studies (β = -1.55, 95% CI: [-2.89; -0.21]). The pooled prevalence of illicit drug use was 9.89% (95% CI: [4.67-19.75]) and 7.78% (95% CI: [3.71-15.58]) after outlier removal.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Substance use among medical students in the EMRO region remains a significant concern.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>This study highlights the urgent need for preventive strategies to raise awareness and promote healthier behaviours among medical students.</p>","PeriodicalId":44723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health in Africa","volume":"16 1","pages":"1389"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12505905/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Public Health in Africa","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4102/jphia.v16i1.1389","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The use of psychoactive substances is a growing global public health concern because of its high prevalence and associated risks of morbidity and mortality. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), this issue is particularly pressing among medical students, as it can impact their academic performance, mental health and future professional behaviour.
Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to determine the prevalence and patterns of psychoactive substance use among medical students in the EMRO region.
Setting: Studies conducted in the EMRO region were included in the analysis.
Method: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, identifying eligible studies. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled prevalence rates, and meta-regression was performed to assess factors influencing prevalence variation.
Results: Ten studies were included in the study. The pooled prevalence of alcohol consumption among medical students was 9.52% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4.82-17.93]), which decreased to 5.92% (95% CI: [4.59-7.60]) after removing outliers (I2 = 81.3%). Meta-regression indicated that studies with sample sizes above 500 reported lower prevalence than smaller studies (β = -1.55, 95% CI: [-2.89; -0.21]). The pooled prevalence of illicit drug use was 9.89% (95% CI: [4.67-19.75]) and 7.78% (95% CI: [3.71-15.58]) after outlier removal.
Conclusion: Substance use among medical students in the EMRO region remains a significant concern.
Contribution: This study highlights the urgent need for preventive strategies to raise awareness and promote healthier behaviours among medical students.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Public Health in Africa (JPHiA) is a peer-reviewed, academic journal that focuses on health issues in the African continent. The journal editors seek high quality original articles on public health related issues, reviews, comments and more. The aim of the journal is to move public health discourse from the background to the forefront. The success of Africa’s struggle against disease depends on public health approaches.