Prevalence and risk factors of methamphetamine use among high school students of Bandar Abbas

Introduction: Substance abuse has many effects on mental health and social status. Ecstasy is a production of methamphetamine and is abused by young people. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ecstasy use among high school students of Bandar Abbas, Iran in 2011. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 in Bandar Abbas city of Iran. In this study, 993 students were enrolled from 8 high schools using multi stage stratified random sampling method. Demographic data and risk factors were collected using ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) questionnaire. Data was entered SPSS 16 software and descriptive statistics, chi-square, T- test and logical regression were used for analysis. Results: In this study, 1000 questionnaires were distributed to students of 8 high schools. Out of all questionnaires, 993 (99.3%) were returned. The mean age of the students was 16.13±1.17 years. The prevalence of ecstasy abuse was 2.4% (24 participants); 14 participants used during the month prior to the study and 7 participants used during the year before the study. Significant associations were seen between ecstasy use, other opium substance and cigarette smoking (p<0.001). There was no significant associations between ecstasy use and participating in unconventional parties, type of high school, educational level, paternal and maternal educational level, family condition and age (p>0.05). The prevalence of cigarette was 15.6% (155 participants). Conclusion: According to the results, it is recommended to conduct programs to prevent ecstasy abuse among students in order to increase quality of life.