[A gender comparison of legal and illicit drug consumption].
BACKGROUND
It is possible that men consume a higher amount of legal and illegal drugs than women. This can be assessed using the peer methodology, that is an adaptation of the privileged access interviewers (PAI) method and allows to identify populations in which there may be a tendency to under state a phenomenon (hidden populations)


OBJECTIVE
To compare the consumption of legal and illegal drugs by gender.


METHODS
Drug consumption was assessed using a peer methodology in university students between 18 and 26 years of age.


RESULTS
A random sample of 56 women (mean age 21.6 years) and 86 men (mean age 21.5 years), was studied. Women tended to report a higher proportion of tobacco consumption than men. Both genders had a similar consumption behavior of alcohol, total legal drugs, marihuana, cocaine, ecstasies and total illegal drugs. Among subjects that recognized the consumption of legal drugs, men have a higher proportion of illicit drug use and women have a higher proportion of smoking. Men have a higher awareness of the damages caused by drug consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
The results in these small population sample do not support the hypothesis that men have a higher frequency and proportion of illicit drug consumption.
Rodríguez
Jorge
J
Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Chile. jrodrigu80@hotmail.com
Hernández
Enrique
E
Fernández
Ana  María
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; D010379:Peer Group; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine