Ecstasy use among college students in northern Iran

To determine the prevalence of Ecstasy use and high risk behaviors among college students in Guilan; Iran. We conducted a cross sectional study of a representative sample drawn from college students (3958 students) of Guilan in 2005. The questionnaire was adapted from a number of the questionnaires used in the United States and the European countries. Data were analyzed performing χ2 test and logistic regression. Out of 3958 students, 3700 students (93.5%) responded, 1966 students from private colleges and 1734 students from state universities. The mean age of student was 224.2± 3.5 years (ranging from 18 to 46 years); and 49% were male. The life- time prevalence of Ecstasy use was 4.2% (157 students). Ecstasy use was significantly associated with gender, other substances us, cigarette smoking, participation in friendly parties, sharing home with friends, alcohol consumption, type of university, educational level of family, family situation and history of educational abruption in last years (χ2 test, p< 0.0001) but not with age and university courses. Howevere, logistic regression analysis indicated that the factors influencing Ecstasy use were use of other drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoking (P< 0.0001). Ecstasy use appears to be a serious problem in college students. Whatever the causes behind the rise in Ecstasy use, personalized and informative educational programs should be conducted in all colleges.