<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_sjph-2016-0008_s_331_w2aab3b8b1b1b7b1aab1c15b1Aa"><h3>Aim</h3><p>The present study investigates the evolution of illicit drug use among Romanian university students from 1999 to 2011.</p></sec><sec id="j_sjph-2016-0008_s_333_w2aab3b8b1b1b7b1aab1c15b2Aa"><h3>Methods</h3><p>The study was performed in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in three phases: in 1999 (T1), in 2003 (T2) and in 2011 (T3).The study was carried out by means of anonymous questionnaires among university students aged 19-24.</p></sec><sec id="j_sjph-2016-0008_s_334_w2aab3b8b1b1b7b1aab1c15b3Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>The results show that among girls the lifetime illicit drugs use increased statistically significantly from 2.5% in 1999 to 7.5% in 2003 and to 15% in 2011. Among boys the trend was also increasing, the prevalence of illicit drug use was 14.2% at T1, 18.1% at T2, and it increased dramatically to 30.6% at T3. The percentage of students reporting cannabis use was almost identical with the total prevalence of illicit drug use. Ecstasy was the second most frequent drug used by the students; its consumption had also an increasing trend during the examined periods (from 0 to 5.6% among girls and from 0.8% to 11.2% among boys).The results of the bivariate correlation analyses show that lifetime illicit drug use was associated with having friends who experimented with illicit drugs both among boys and girls. Moreover, girls who declared stress management problems and depressive episodes were more likely to try illicit drugs, while among boys illicit drug use was associated with poorer academic performance.</p></sec><sec id="j_sjph-2016-0008_s_335_w2aab3b8b1b1b7b1aab1c15b4Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The data pointed out by our study call for comprehensive actions regarding the prevention of illicit drug use among Romanian young people.</p></sec></abstract>

AimThe present study investigates the evolution of illicit drug use among Romanian university students from 1999 to 2011.MethodsThe study was performed in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in three phases: in 1999 (T1), in 2003 (T2) and in 2011 (T3).The study was carried out by means of anonymous questionnaires among university students aged 19-24.ResultsThe results show that among girls the lifetime illicit drugs use increased statistically significantly from 2.5% in 1999 to 7.5% in 2003 and to 15% in 2011. Among boys the trend was also increasing, the prevalence of illicit drug use was 14.2% at T1, 18.1% at T2, and it increased dramatically to 30.6% at T3. The percentage of students reporting cannabis use was almost identical with the total prevalence of illicit drug use. Ecstasy was the second most frequent drug used by the students; its consumption had also an increasing trend during the examined periods (from 0 to 5.6% among girls and from 0.8% to 11.2% among boys).The results of the bivariate correlation analyses show that lifetime illicit drug use was associated with having friends who experimented with illicit drugs both among boys and girls. Moreover, girls who declared stress management problems and depressive episodes were more likely to try illicit drugs, while among boys illicit drug use was associated with poorer academic performance.ConclusionsThe data pointed out by our study call for comprehensive actions regarding the prevention of illicit drug use among Romanian young people.

An Increasing Trend of Illicit Drug use Among Romanian University Students From 1999 to 2011

University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca Hygiene, Pasteur 6, 400340 Cluj-Napoca,

National Institute of Public Health, Av. Universidad #655, Col. Sta. Ma. Ahuacatitlán, 62100 Cuernavaca, Morelos,

University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208,

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

NARAŠČUJOČI TREND UPORABE PREPOVEDANIH DROG MED ROMUNSKIMI UNIVERZITETNIMI ŠTUDENTI OD LETA 1999 DO LETA 2011

AimThe present study investigates the evolution of illicit drug use among Romanian university students from 1999 to 2011.MethodsThe study was performed in...

An Increasing Trend of Illicit Drug use Among Romanian University Students From 1999 to 2011

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 10, 2016

Page range: 53 - 58

Received: Nov 06, 2014

Accepted: Sep 21, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjph-2016-0008

Keywords
illicit drug use, Romanian youth, health promotion

© National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

An Increasing Trend of Illicit Drug use Among Romanian University Students From 1999 to 2011

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 10, 2016

Page range: 53 - 58

Received: Nov 06, 2014

Accepted: Sep 21, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjph-2016-0008

Keywordsillicit drug use, Romanian youth, health promotion

© National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
illicit drug use, Romanian youth, health promotion