A cross-sectional study of epidemiological factors associated with drug use among secondary school students

Objective: Few data are available about drug use among Iraqi society, especially among people within the most vulnerable period, adolescence and secondary education. Hence, this study was designed to determine the prevalence and to examine the epidemiological factors associated with drug use among secondary school students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional school-based study was designed and students were selected using a multistage sampling method during the period from March through April 2018 in Al-Hilla city - Babil - Iraq. In the first stage, 15 secondary schools were selected using cluster sampling. Students at each secondary school, one study hall classroom per grade level were randomly selected to participate in the second stage of this study. Chi-square was used to determine if certain factors are associated significantly (pvalue <= 0.05) with drug use. Results: The overall prevalence of drug use was (9.5%) (most of them were male). Other important aspects of drug use (e.g., source of acquiring drug) among the target population were reported. A significant association between drug use and some important factors was found. Conclusion: High prevalence of drug use was shown among the students and some factors appear to play a crucial role in drug use initiation, which necessitates preventive measures.