Abstract

SILVA, Elissandro de Freitas; PAVANI, Rafael Augusto Borges; MORAES, Maria Silvia de  and  CHIARAVALLOTI NETO, Francisco. Drug abuse prevalence among secondary school students in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.6, pp. 1151-1158. ISSN 0102-311X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2006000600004.

This study investigates the prevalence of drug consumption among secondary school students in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil, and its distribution in relation to gender and grade in school. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in São José do Rio Preto. A self-applied questionnaire was answered by a proportional sample of 1,041 teenagers enrolled in 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grades in public schools. Lifetime consumption of psychoactive substances was: alcohol 77%, tobacco 28.7%, solvents 18.1%, marijuana 12.1%, amphetamines 3.7%, cocaine 3.3%, hallucinogens 3.1%, and crack 1.4%. Weekly use of marijuana was the highest (2.8%), followed by solvents (1.3%). Males consumed more alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and crack than females. Nighttime use of tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens was observed. In the present study, prevalence of psychoactive substance use was observed in São José do Rio Preto at rates similar to those found in other Brazilian studies.

Keywords : Street Drugs; Substance-Related Disorders; Students.