Tobacco and cannabis use in the young ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’ population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IF 5.9 1区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Addiction Pub Date : 2026-09-15 Epub Date: 2026-06-01 DOI:10.1111/add.70477

Clara Eyraud, Claire Collin, Philippe Martin, Corinne Alberti, Laëtitia Minary, Agnès Dumas, Enora Le Roux

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Abstract

Background and aims

NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) youth represent a vulnerable population from a public health perspective, facing multiple health challenges, including elevated substance use. Tobacco and cannabis are the most commonly used psychoactive substances among young people, with early initiation associated with long-term health and social consequences. While evidence suggests associations between NEET status and substance use, data remain limited regarding patterns of use and potential variations across different NEET profiles. This study aimed to characterise tobacco and cannabis use within the NEET population, taking into account the diversity of profiles, and to compare it with that of the general population, including employed youth and students, in order to inform targeted prevention strategies.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis included observational studies examining tobacco and cannabis use among NEET youth aged 15–29 years. A search was conducted for observational studies available on PubMed, PsycINFO, Cairn and Web of Science databases and published between 1999 and 2025. Analyses studied the variations in use among NEET profiles and compared NEET against employed youth, student and general population controls. Random-effects models generated pooled crude odds ratios. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted based on study quality, gender and type of comparison population.

Results

Twenty-five studies were included and analysed, including a total of 91 085 individuals. A statistically significant association between NEET status and both tobacco use [odds ratio (OR) = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.46–2.53] and current cannabis use (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.68–2.71) was found. Current smoking was statistically significantly more prevalent among NEET than among students (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.31–4.03), but not statistically significantly different compared with young workers (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91–1.34). NEET demonstrated statistically significantly higher cannabis use compared with both students (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.34–2.44) and workers (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.21–2.31). A higher prevalence of cannabis use disorder among young people with NEET status (31.93%) was observed compared with their non-NEET peers (12.12%), but no statistically significant association was found.

Conclusions

Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) appear to show higher tobacco and cannabis use compared with their peers. Given these findings, targeted prevention strategies addressing substance use in NEET populations are essential to reduce social health inequities.

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“未就业、未接受教育或未接受培训”的年轻人的烟草和大麻使用情况：一项系统回顾和荟萃分析。

背景和目的：从公共卫生的角度来看，NEET（未就业、未受教育或未接受培训）青年是弱势群体，面临多重健康挑战，包括药物使用增加。烟草和大麻是年轻人中最常用的精神活性物质，过早开始使用会带来长期的健康和社会后果。虽然有证据表明NEET状况与物质使用之间存在关联，但关于不同NEET状况的使用模式和潜在差异的数据仍然有限。本研究旨在描述啃老族人群中烟草和大麻使用的特征，同时考虑到其特征的多样性，并将其与包括就业青年和学生在内的一般人群进行比较，以便为有针对性的预防策略提供信息。方法：系统回顾和荟萃分析纳入了观察性研究，调查了15-29岁啃老族青年的烟草和大麻使用情况。对PubMed、PsycINFO、Cairn和Web of Science数据库中1999年至2025年间发表的观察性研究进行了搜索。分析研究了啃老族使用情况的变化，并将啃老族与就业青年、学生和一般人口对照进行了比较。随机效应模型产生了汇总的粗比值比。根据研究质量、性别和比较人群类型进行敏感性和亚组分析。结果：纳入并分析了25项研究，共包括91,085名个体。研究发现，NEET状态与烟草使用[比值比(OR) = 1.92, 95%可信区间(CI) = 1.46-2.53]和当前大麻使用（OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.68-2.71）之间存在统计学上显著的关联。目前吸烟在啃老族中比在学生中更为普遍（OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.31-4.03），但与年轻工人相比差异无统计学意义（OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91-1.34）。与学生（OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.34-2.44）和工人（OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.21-2.31）相比，NEET的大麻使用量在统计学上显著增加。与非NEET同龄人（12.12%）相比，NEET状态的年轻人大麻使用障碍患病率（31.93%）更高，但没有发现统计学上显著的关联。结论：与同龄人相比，未就业、未受教育或未接受培训的青年（NEET）似乎显示出更高的烟草和大麻使用率。鉴于这些发现，针对啃老族物质使用的有针对性的预防战略对于减少社会卫生不平等至关重要。

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来源期刊

Addiction 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

10.80

自引率

6.70%

发文量

319

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Addiction publishes peer-reviewed research reports on pharmacological and behavioural addictions, bringing together research conducted within many different disciplines. Its goal is to serve international and interdisciplinary scientific and clinical communication, to strengthen links between science and policy, and to stimulate and enhance the quality of debate. We seek submissions that are not only technically competent but are also original and contain information or ideas of fresh interest to our international readership. We seek to serve low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries as well as more economically developed countries. Addiction’s scope spans human experimental, epidemiological, social science, historical, clinical and policy research relating to addiction, primarily but not exclusively in the areas of psychoactive substance use and/or gambling. In addition to original research, the journal features editorials, commentaries, reviews, letters, and book reviews.