Consumption of medicines, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among university students: a 2-year follow-up

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of medicine consumption among Spanish university students and its association with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis consumption. Method: We carried out a cohort study among Spanish university students (n = 2,700). Consumption of medicines during the previous 15 days, risky alcohol use, and tobacco and cannabis consumption were measured using questionnaire. Logistic regression models were generated using consumption of medicines as dependent variables at the beginning of the study and for a 2-year follow-up. Results: A multivariate logistic regression model showed at the beginning of the study that being female (OR = 1.71), living away from home (OR = 1.35) and being a smoker (OR = 1.40) are associated with consumption of medicines. Furthermore, the model shows a significant interaction between risky alcohol use and cannabis consumption (OR = 2.00). The 2-year follow-up shows that only being female (OR = 1.44) and risky alcohol use (OR = 1.36) are associated with the considered dependent variable. Conclusions: Our results reveal a very high intake of medicines among university students; most of them are without a medical prescription. Probably, this consumption of medicines is another form of poly-consumption of drugs