Abstract

ARIZA, C. et al. Trends in tobacco, alcohol and cannabis consumption among secondary school pupils in Barcelona, Spain [1987-1999]. Gac Sanit [online]. 2003, vol.17, n.3, pp.190-195. ISSN 0213-9111.

Objective: To describe trends in tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis consumption among secondary school pupils in Barcelona between 1987 and 1999. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys administered to representative samples of pupils in the second year of secondary school between 1987 and 1999. The questionnaires were anonymous and self-completed. We present data from 5013 secondary school pupils from Barcelona who participated in one of the five surveys. Results: Regular smoking (daily and weekly) showed a uniform decrease between 1987 and 1996. The results of the last survey (1999) showed an increase over those the 1996 survey, ranging from 13.4% for regular smoking to 38.7% for experimental smoking. Between 1987 and 1999, the percentage of schoolchildren who reported drinking at least half a glass of alcohol at some time showed an overall decrease of 14.0%. No differences in sex were found in problematic alcohol consumption, while a higher proportion of girls (14.0%) than boys (10.5%) reported getting drunk at some time. Whereas in 1996, 6.9% of the population studied had smoked cannabis at some time, in 1999 this proportion was 7.3%, with no differences between sexes. Conclusions: During the study period regular smoking increased, alcohol consumption decreased and cannabis consumption tended to level-off. Differences between boys and girls tended to disappear.

Keywords : Smoking; Alcohol; Cannabis; Adolescence; Trends; School.

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