title: [Prevalence of the drug consumption among Chilean university students].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug abuse is one of the main public health problems and mostly involves young people.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of drug consumption among university students and its associated social factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire exploring consumption of drugs and social-demographic, economic and religious variables, was applied to 1577 third year students aged 22 ± 2 years (54% females) of a public university.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty eight percent of the students were of middle socioeconomic class, 71 % belonged to some religion and 29% declared themselves as agnostic. Ninety six percent drank alcohol at least once and 29% never smoked. Among illicit drugs, marijuana was consumed by 22% followed by cocaine in 5.3%o, hallucinogenic drugs in 2.6 % >, inhalants in 2.3% > and cocaine free base in 1.4%). Six percent consumed stimulants and 13.8%>, sedatives. A higher economic income facilitated drug consumption and the adscription to a religion was protective against it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol is the most commonly consumed drug, and is the substance that generates more problems to students.
authors: Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile. jsepulve@udec.cl
authors: M Jacqueline
authors: MJ
authors: Sepúlveda C
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Roa S
authors: Marcos
authors: M
authors: Muñoz R
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002677:Chile; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012067:Religion; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs