Tobacco and alcohol consumption in university students from Campeche, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction. Tobacco and alcohol are socially accepted drugs that cause high consumption worldwide. One of the age groups with the highest consumption rate are young people, who, despite knowing the associated risks, show an increase in intake of these substances.

Objective. To determine the prevalence and type of tobacco and alcohol consumption in university students.

Methodology. Descriptive cross-sectional study in 536 student students of a public university, located in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.

Results. The findings showed that 50.1% of young people have smoked at some time in their lives and 59.9% have consumed alcohol. The age of onset of tobacco and alcohol consumption was 16.8 and 15.9, respectively. In relation to the type of tobacco dependence, 82.9% show a non-dependence, 15.9% a weak dependence and 1.2% a moderate dependence. With regard to the type of alcohol consumption, 33.9% presented a sensible consumption, 21.6% a dependent consumption and 18.6% a harmful consumption. Conclusions. The results show that there is a high prevalence of the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, which shows that it is increasing in the university students of the population studied, so it is required of duly consolidated research, which demonstrates the existence real or potential of this public health problem in young people.