Prevalence of Consumption of Addictive Substances Among Students of Islamic Azad University (Zahedan Branch)

Background The use of addictive substances is one of the most important problems of human societies and one of the major challenges for the social, health, and political realms. Although the problem is not confined to specific age groups, young people at risk are among the main groups. Objectives This study examined the frequency of using alcohol and substances among students of Islamic Azad university in Zahedan in 2012. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study included 1,014 students studying at the Islamic Azad university, Zahedan, using cluster sampling and distribution based on gender, college, and graduate level using the high-risk behaviors questionnaire. Demographic data were collected using a questionnaire. Results Smoking prevalence rates among female and male students were 6.80% and 39.1%, respectively. The prevalence of water pipe smoking in female students was 26.1%, and for male students, it was 56.7%. About 4.7% of female and 21.6% of male students reported using alcohol at least one or more times. The prevalence rates of drug use were 2.4% and 13.5% among female and male students, respectively. Conclusions The study results indicate a high prevalence of drug use among students. Thus, it is suggested that preventive and therapeutic interventions for university students are important and necessary.