Prevalence and pattern of substance use among youth of slum area

Abstract

Background: Substance use is a rising problem in the slum area. Youth is the period of greatest risk of starting to use substances such as cigarette smoking, alcohol, and other drugs. It poses a threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities, and nations. Aim: The study aimed to explore the prevalence and pattern of substance use among youth of the slum area of Tandiya, Sunderpur, Varanasi. Methods: Data were collected through interview among male youth from Tandiya, Sunderpur Varanasi of the age group 15–25 years and analyzed in November 2019. The cross-sectional design was used. In this study, the sample comprised 40 male youth and purposive sampling technique was used. The association between substances use and socio-demographic variable was studied using Chi-squire test. Results: Substance use was statistically higher among youth in the slum area. The prevalence of substance use was seen in 57.5% of youth belonging to the age group of 21–25 years, had addicted to a different type of substance use. Cigarette smoking 24 (60%) was found to be the most common type of substance abuse, followed by alcohol 23 (57.5%), bhang 22(55%), tobacco 21 (52.5%), ganja 18 (45%), and others 6 (15%). Conclusion: Smoking and alcohol are the most common form of substance abuse among youths of Tandiya, Sunderpur, Varanasi. Parents should also be educated on discouraging the use of the substance and ban their children from the beginning.