Relationship between psychoactive substance, alcohol and cigarette use in nursing students. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The increase in the use of psychoactive substances, alcohol and cigarettes in young people has become a public health problem. The identification of factors that increase or reduce the risk of exposure to these substances and the possible relationship between them is essential for planning strategies with a risk approach; hence the reason for this study. The objective was to establish the profile of use of psychoactive substances, alcohol and cigarettes and the factors associated with such use in nursing students of a higher education institution. METHODS: Quantitative, observational, analytical cross-sectional study. RESULTS: We included 310 students from 1 st to 9th semester of a Nursing programme from a private higher education institution in Bogotá. The prevalence of psychoactive substance use in the last year was 2.96% (95%CI, 1.36-5.54), with marijuana being the substance most used (55.55%). The prevalence of alcohol and cigarette use during the last 12 months was estimated at 86.64% (95%CI, 83.24-91.0) and 12.16% (95%CI, 8.43-15.88) respectively. A statistically significant association was found between the use of these substances: alcohol use was associated with cigarette use (OR = 3.22; P = 0.006) and smoking was associated with psychoactive substance use (OR = 15.4; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use increases the likelihood of smoking cigarettes, and this in turn increases the likelihood of psychoactive substance use, in this university population.

Lower academic performance and dropout rates among University students with children: a prospective cohort study of nursing students in Bogotá, Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between parenthood and academic performance and dropout among professional Nursing degree program students. METHODS: A prospective cohort was conducted. 310 students were included, 26 parents (exposed) and 284 nonparents (unexposed), who were followed up during 16 weeks. At the end of this follow-up, student records were reviewed. RESULTS: Academic performance in the exposed and unexposed groups was 3.51/5.0 and 3.64/5.0 respectively. Although it was higher in the latter group, i.e., with a difference of 0.13, the values were not statistically significant (p=0.058). After adjusting for confounding variables, a difference of -0.165 point was seen (p=0.037). The risk of students dropping out of college is 34 % less for exposed compared to those who are unexposed (RR: 0.66; CI: 0.075-5.78; p=0.708). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that parenthood has a modest impact on the academic performance, and has no impact on the risk of dropping out.

Factors Associated With 30 Day Survival in Adults With Influenza Infection Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to influenza in adults is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a supportive alternative for severe and refractory cases. This study aimed to perform a hospital-based case-control study between February 2018 and February 2020 for determining the factors associated with 30 day survival in adults with severe ARDS caused by influenza infection who are provided ECMO support. A total of 17 adults received ECMO support, mostly veno-venous for hypoxemic respiratory failure, with a 30 day survival rate of 65%. The cohort of patients who did not survive at 30 days compared with the cohort of those who did survive had higher body mass index (34 vs. 31), higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (9.5 vs. 7) and lower Respiratory ECMO Survival Prediction score (2 vs. 4). This study shows the importance of evaluating the severity scores of patients before ECMO support initiation, which offers an acceptable survival in patients with severe ARDS, making it a feasible alternative in critical patients who are refractory to conventional management.