Cocaine use in Europe - a multi-centre study. Methodology and prevalence estimates.
An increase in the use of cocaine and crack in several parts of Europe has raised the question whether this trend is similar to that of the USA in the 1980s. However, research in the field of cocaine use in Europe has been only sporadic. Therefore, a European multi-centre and multi-modal project was designed to study specific aspects of cocaine and crack use in Europe, in order to develop guidelines for public health strategies. Data on prevalence rates were analysed for the general population and for specific subgroups. Despite large differences between countries in the prevalence of cocaine use in the general population, most countries show an increase in the last few years. The highest rate with a lifetime prevalence of 5.2% was found for the United Kingdom, although with a plateau effect around the year 2000. With regard to specific subgroups, three groups seem to show a higher prevalence than the general population: (1) youth, especially in the party scene; (2) socially marginalized groups, such as homeless and prostitutes or those found in open drug scenes; (3) opiate-dependent patients in maintenance treatment who additionally use cocaine. Specific strategies need to be developed to address problematic cocaine use in these subgroups.
Haasen
Christian
C
Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Suchtforschung, Klinik für Psychiatrie & Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. haasen@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Prinzleve
Michael
M
Zurhold
Heike
H
Rehm
Juergen
J
Güttinger
Franziska
F
Fischer
Gabriele
G
Jagsch
Reinhold
R
Olsson
Börje
B
Ekendahl
Mats
M
Verster
Annette
A
Camposeragna
Antonella
A
Pezous
Anne-Marie
AM
Gossop
Michael
M
Manning
Victoria
V
Cox
Gemma
G
Ryder
Niamh
N
Gerevich
Jozsef
J
Bacskai
Erika
E
Casas
Miguel
M
Matali
Josep Lluis
JL
Krausz
Michael
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015897:Comorbidity; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D012307:Risk Factors; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012932:Social Facilitation; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D016578:Crack Cocaine