Household survey on prevalence of opioids and stimulants in Lorestan Province

drug use disorder is one of the main health challenges in Iran, which threatens the quality of life and causes many social issues. Accurate and up-to-date information forms a basis for planning and controlled interventions. Given that accurate estimation of drug use is a long lasting challenge in Iran, this study was conducted to obtain accurate data regarding drug use prevalence and patterns in the population of Lorestan province.

the study was a cross sectional household survey with a sample of 3960 individuals, aged 15 to 64, in Lorestan province in the year 2016. The data collection tool was a checklist, which elicited demographic information and information related to the use of different drugs in the past week, the past month, the past year, and lifelong. Descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation, frequency and percentage were used to analyze the data.

in total, 3878 individuals participated in the study. The lifelong prevalence of smoking was 13.3%, hookah was 12.68%, alcohol was 4.14% and drug use was 7.3% of the general population in Lorestan Province. The past-week prevalence of smoking was 10.7%, hookah was 7.58%, alcohol was 0.91% and drug use was 3.45%.

this study showed that in Lorestan Province, the lifelong prevalence of smoking, hookah, alcoholic drink and drug use were lower than the average in the country. The prevalence of past-week hookah use was higher than the average in the country and the prevalence of past-week drug use, smoking and consumption of alcohol in Lorestan were lower than the average in the country.