[Substance abuse amongst adolescents, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 1996-2004]. / Consumo de Sustancias Psicoactivas en Adolescentes, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 1996-2004.

OBJECTIVES: Ascertaining substance use prevalence amongst upper-level high-school adolescents and comparing these figures with those from 1996 and 1997. METHOD: 2,291 randomly sampled high-school adolescents participated in a cross-sectional survey about legal and illegal substance abuse. RESULTS: Mean adolescent age was 15,9 (1,09 SD); 53,9 % of the sample was female. The use of several substances grew from 1996/1997 to 2004, i.e. marihuana (1,5 % to 4,4 %), crack (0,.4 % to 1,2 %), inhalants (0,1 % to 1,2 %), stimulants (0,7 % to 1,9 %), and tranquilisers (2,0 % to 3,1 %). Similar figures were found for weekly alcohol use to the point of getting drunk (6,5 % to 7,7 %). Annual MDA use was 2,5 % (a substance not studied in 1996/1997). CONCLUSION: Inhalant and tranquiliser consumption amongst high-school adolescents has increased dramatically during the last few years. MDA consumption has reached a significant percentage.

Consumo de Sustancias Psicoactivas en Adolescentes, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 1996-2004 / Substance abuse amongst adolescents, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 1996-2004

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de uso de sustancias psicoactivas entre estudiantes de los dos últimos años de bachillerato y comparar la variación frente a lo encontrado en 1996 y 1997. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo. Una muestra de 2 291 estudiantes seleccionados al azar diligenció un cuestionario autoadministrado sobre consumo de sustancias legales e ilegales. Resultados: La edad promedio fue 15,9 años (DE 1,09); 53,9 por ciento eran mujeres. Se observó un incremento en la prevalencia de consumo anual de marihuana (1,5 por ciento a 4,4 por ciento), bazuco (0,4 por ciento a 1,2 por ciento), inhalantes (0,1 por ciento a 1,2 por ciento), estimulantes (0,7 por ciento a 1,9 por ciento), tranquilizantes (2,0 3,1 por ciento) y de consumo semanal de alcohol hasta la embriaguez (6,5 por ciento a 7,7 por ciento). La prevalencia anual de uso de éxtasis fue 2,5 por ciento (no investigada en 1996 y 1997). Conclusiones: El consumo de sustancias de inhalantes y tranquilizantes se incrementó en forma importante en los últimos años. El consumo de éxtasis alcanzó una cifra significativa.

Objectives: Ascertaining substance use prevalence amongst upper-level high-school adolescents and comparing these figures with those from 1996 and 1997. Method: 2 291 randomly sampled high-school adolescents participated in a cross-sectional survey about legal and illegal substance abuse. Results: Mean adolescent age was 15,9 (1,09 SD); 53,9 percent of the sample was female. The use of several substances grew from 1996/1997 to 2004, i.e. marihuana (1,5 percent to 4,4 percent), crack (0,.4 percent to 1,2 percent), inhalants (0,1 percent to 1,2 percent), stimulants (0,7 percent to 1,9 percent), and tranquilisers (2,0 percent to 3,1 percent). Similar figures were found for weekly alcohol use to the point of getting drunk (6,5 percent to 7,7 percent). Annual MDA use was 2,5 percent (a substance not studied in 1996/1997). Conclusion: Inhalant and tranquiliser consumption amongst high-school adolescents has increased dramatically during the last few years. MDA consumption has reached a significant percentage.