Paper Key : IRJ************586
Author: Batula Rashid, Dr.gaurav Tyagi
Date Published: 17 Nov 2024
Abstract
This paper reports an epidemiological study on substance use among college students in North India, specifically in the Kashmir Valley. A cross-sectional study used a multi-stage sampling strategy in five districts randomly selected for sample collection from 200 college students. It is a pretested, self-administered questionnaire that was derived from the World Health Organization framework for data collection, thereby going into fine details about sociodemographic profiles, drug use patterns, and opinion regarding the health hazards associated with substance use. Results in drug use analysis indicated that 31.5% claimed to have at some point used drugs, though tobacco was the most prominent at 33%, alcohol ranked second at 19%, and inhalants were at 15%. In their identification of lung cancer as the primary health issue related to substance abuse, the respondents displayed high awareness of the risks involved. These findings demand an intervention strategy that is targeted against the scourge of drug addiction among the college-going youth of the region.