Abstract

GUIMARAES, José Luiz et al. Psychoactive drug use in school age adolescents, Brazil. Rev. Saúde Pública [online]. 2004, vol.38, n.1, pp. 130-132. ISSN 0034-8910.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102004000100018.

To quantify psychoactive drug use and investigate use-related variables among students of Assis, Brazil, a questionnaire was administered to collect sociodemographic data and identify the pattern of non-medical use of psychoactive drugs in 20% of public and private school students. The largest consumption indexes for lifetime use were seen for alcohol (68.9%) and tobacco (22.7%). Drugs most often used were: solvents (10.0%); marijuana (6.6%); benzodiazepines (3.8%); amphetamines (2.6%); cocaine (1.6%); and anticholinergics (1.0%).

Keywords : Substance-related disorders [epidemiology]; Street drugs; Adolescent; Alcohol drinking [epidemiology]; Smoking [epidemiology]; Health promotion; Health surveys; Questionnaires; Socioeconomic factors.