Analysis of Substance Abuse in Male Adolescents

Objective: Substance abuse in adolescents may also be a marker to other harmful life styles. This study aims to find out the prevalence, pattern and sociodemographic risk factors of substance abuse in male adolescents. Methods: This study examined 390 male school children aged 10-19 yrs in the rural and urban areas of district Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Data was analyzed by SPSS -10. Findings: Substance abuse was prevalent in 13.3% of adolescents of whom 96.1% were using various forms of tobacco and 3.8% were taking alcohol. While there was statistically significant association between the substance abuse and the age group of adolescents and size of their families, variables such as religion, socioeconomic status, place of residence were not associated with substance use. Most of the students reported initiation of substance use at 14 yrs of age due to peer pressure. Conclusion: Peer educators would be a useful strategy for communication with adolescents to counter peer pressure. The prevention and control measures should be started at primary education level