[Trends in tobacco, alcohol and cannabis consumption among secondary school pupils in Barcelona, Spain (1987-1999)].
OBJECTIVE
To describe trends in tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis consumption among secondary school pupils in Barcelona between 1987 and 1999.


METHODS
Cross-sectional surveys administered to representative samples of pupils in the second year of secondary school between 1987 and 1999. The questionnaires were anonymous and self-completed. We present data from 5013 secondary school pupils from Barcelona who participated in one of the five surveys.


RESULTS
Regular smoking (daily and weekly) showed a uniform decrease between 1987 and 1996. The results of the last survey (1999) showed an increase over those the 1996 survey, ranging from 13.4% for regular smoking to 38.7% for experimental smoking. Between 1987 and 1999, the percentage of schoolchildren who reported drinking at least half a glass of alcohol at some time showed an overall decrease of 14.0%. No differences in sex were found in problematic alcohol consumption, while a higher proportion of girls (14.0%) than boys (10.5%) reported getting drunk at some time. Whereas in 1996, 6.9% of the population studied had smoked cannabis at some time, in 1999 this proportion was 7.3%, with no differences between sexes.


CONCLUSIONS
During the study period regular smoking increased, alcohol consumption decreased and cannabis consumption tended to level-off. Differences between boys and girls tended to disappear.
Ariza
C
C
Institut de Medicina i Salut, Agència de Salut de Barcelona. España. cariza@imsb.bcn.es
Nebot
M
M
Villalbí
J R
JR
Díez
E
E
Tomás
Z
Z
Valmayor
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology