Background: Globally, there are 2 billion alcohol users, 1.3 billion smokers and 185 million are drug users. These are accounting for 12.4% of all deaths worldwide. The doctors are vulnerable to substance abuse due to their ready accessibility to the substance of abuse. Medical training is identified as full of stress and it is also observed that students undergo tremendous stress during various years of medical training. Repeated use of drugs can damage essential decision making and effect judgment of actions. This could be disastrous if substance abusers are medical professionals who have direct dealing with human lives. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at a medical college in Tumkur district of Karnataka. A semi structured questionnaire was used to interview 379 medical students who were willing to participate. Results: Prevalence of substance abuse among the students was found to be 25.9%. Substance abuse was highest among VII term students (III rd year) which was 25.3%. Alcohol was the single most preferred substance of abuse which was used by 36.40% of students. Curiosity for experience (42.4%) was major reason for initiation of substance abuse. Majority of students (45.5%) attained the harmful substances through friends. 76.6% of hostellers used harmful substances. Conclusions: Prevalence of substance abuse among medical college students was high. Students preferred alcohol products and tobacco most. Hosteller students are more likely to be exposed to substance abuse.

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INTRODUCTIONIntimate partner violence (IPV) against women is the most prevalent yet relatively hidden form of violence against women and it is a global human rights and public health concern.1,2 Intimate partner violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner.3 Recent international estimates indicate that the percentage of women with a lifetime experience of IPV is as high as 71% (rural Ethiopia) and falls between 21% and47% in the majority of countries.2,3 According to NFHS3 data 37.2% of the ever married women experienced spousal violence in India. 4 Intimate partner violence describes physical violence, sexual violence; stalking and psychological aggression (including coercive acts) by a current or former intimate partner.5 IPV affects physical, mental and reproductive health. Health consequences can be fatal and end in suicides. Physical violence is defined as any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm or danger to life, limb or health, or an act that impairs the health or development of the person ABSTRACT Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common type of violence against women. It has adverse consequences on physical, mental and sexual health. Hence this study was conducted to study intimate partner violence among married Group -D female workers in a medical college campus, to document their help seeking for IPV and to assess their attitude towards intimate partner violence. Methods: A cross-sectional study among married Group-D women workers in a medical college campus. Of the total 73, 60 Group-D workers who gave informed consent were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. In addition, data on socio-economic characteristics was collected. Descriptive statistics, Chi -square test, Fischer's exact test was used for analysis. Analysis was done using SPSS software version 18. Results: The study showed that of 60 Groups -D women workers in a medical institution, 29 (48%) experienced life time IPV. Some socio-economic characters like type of family, type of marriage, husband's education and alcohol intake by husband were significantly associated with IPV. Almost all (97%) said that the wife beating was unacceptable. Only 41% sought help for IPV. Conclusions: IPV in Group-D married women of a medical institution was high with nearly 50% reporting IPV. Influencing factors such as type of family, type of marriage, educational status of husband and alcohol intake by husband were associated with IPV. The help seeking behaviour was not satisfactory.