Investigating of the Prevalence and Underlying Factors of Substance Abuse among Students of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences.

Drug abuse is a widespread and increasing phenomenon throughout the world that, as the most important social harm, invades human society and causes many to become seriously impaired in individual and social action. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors of substance abuse among students of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences.

This study was descriptive. 169 students participated in the study by stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that was developed by the presenters and reviewed by existing studies. The questionnaire included demographic information and drug use information including cigarettes, hookah, alcohol and drugs. Data on substance abuse were collected using 23 variables including substance use during the past year and month, age of first use, place and time, and people using them, using descriptive statistics (Frequency, percentage, mean) were analyzed by SPSS 20.

Most of the students were female (62.5%). The mean age of students was 21.08 ± 2.03. The mean score of students was 16.431 1.45. The prevalence of cigarette, hookah, alcohol and drug abuse were 8.4%, 18.9%, 7.7% and 3.6%, respectively. The mean age of substance abuse students was 17.15±2.57 years. Most students with non-academic friends had hookah abuse (18.5%), alcohol abuse (2.2%) and drugs (2.4%). Abuse of hookah, alcohol and drugs were more frequent in leisure  time and were (12.4%), (1.8%) and (4.7%), respectively. The most prevalent areas of abuse were cigarettes, hookahs and narcotics in parks and green spaces, and single and family-run alcoholic beverages.

The highest abuse among students was related to hookah smoking. Drug abuse was often done in groups and with non-academic friends, in green spaces and parks and in leisure time. In order to reduce the prevalence and areas of substance abuse, it is suggested that more specialized training courses be held to increase students' awareness and understanding of the causes of substance abuse. In addition, further studies are recommended to identify more precisely the underlying causes of substance abuse.