Cannabis use and knowledge among medical students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

IF 0.3 Q4 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Pub Date : 2018-05-01 Epub Date: 2018-04-11 DOI:10.2989/17280583.2018.1438291

Roshini Jain, Ch Chiech Chang, Mpho A Koto, Alden N Geldenhuys, Richard J Nichol, Gina Joubert

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引用次数: 10

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cannabis use among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State (UFS), and the extent of their knowledge about the substance.

Method: This cross-sectional study included five year groups of undergraduate medical students. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used.

Results: Of the 643 medical students, 541 (84.1%) completed the questionnaire. In total, 161 (30.9%) students reported that they had ever used cannabis. The percentage of males who had ever used cannabis was twice that of females (relative risk 2.04; 95% CI 1.56; 2.67). Of the cannabis users, less than 12% used it monthly or more often. A fifth (19.5%) of all students stated that they did not know the side effects of cannabis use. Nearly half (45.4%) indicated that they could not name any medicinal (medical) uses. The median knowledge score of students who used cannabis tended to be higher than that of students who did not use cannabis; this was statistically significant only in the third-year group.

Conclusions: Medical students generally have a low level of knowledge about cannabis. The reported lifetime prevalence and pattern of cannabis use are similar to those reported in other South African studies published over the past 35 years.

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南非布隆方丹自由州大学医科学生的大麻使用和知识。

目的:本研究旨在调查自由州大学(UFS)本科医科学生使用大麻的流行程度，以及他们对该物质的了解程度。方法:采用横断面研究方法，对五年制医科本科生进行分组。采用了一份自我管理的匿名问卷。结果:643名医学生中，541名(84.1%)完成了问卷调查。总共有161名(30.9%)学生报告说他们曾经使用过大麻。曾经使用过大麻的男性比例是女性的两倍(相对风险2.04;95% ci 1.56;2.67)。在大麻使用者中，不到12%的人每月或更频繁地使用大麻。五分之一(19.5%)的学生表示他们不知道使用大麻的副作用。近一半(45.4%)的人表示他们不能说出任何药用(医疗)用途。使用大麻的学生知识得分中位数倾向于高于未使用大麻的学生;这仅在第三年组中有统计学意义。结论:医学生对大麻的认知水平普遍较低。报告的大麻终生流行率和使用模式与过去35年发表的其他南非研究报告相似。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health publishes papers that contribute to improving the mental health of children and adolescents, especially those in Africa. Papers from all disciplines are welcome. It covers subjects such as epidemiology, mental health prevention and promotion, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, policy and risk behaviour. The journal contains review articles, original research (including brief reports), clinical papers in a "Clinical perspectives" section and book reviews. The Journal is published in association with the South African Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (SAACAPAP).