A systematic review and meta-analysis of substance use among medical students in India

Abstract

Background and Aims Substance use among medical students may have consequences like poor academic performance and impaired patient care. There is a growing literature on substance use among medical students in India. This systematic review and meta-analysis were done to synthesize the literature on substance use among medical students in India. Methods Medline and Google Scholar were used as search engines to ascertain the literature that reported substance use among Indian medical students from January 2000 to January 2022. The pooled prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, other substance, and overall substance use was computed. Results A total of 65 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of tobacco use was 21.9% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 18.5% to 25.3%, n = 20,165, k = 51), while the pooled prevalence of alcohol use was 27.1% (95% CI of 23.0% to 31.1%, n = 11,823, k = 31). The overall pooled prevalence of substance use was 40.3% (95% CI of 25.5% to 55.2%, n = 4960, k = 10), while pooled prevalence of cannabis was 8.2% (95% CI of 4.9% to 11.5%, n = 2418, k = 7). The use of tobacco was about 10 times higher in males than females, while the odds of alcohol use were about five times higher in males. Conclusion Substance use is common among medical students, with rates of substance use being generally higher in males as compared to females. Targeted interventions may help to reduce substance use and prevent the development of substance use disorders in this population.

Burden of alcohol and other substance use and correlates among undergraduate students at Busitema University in rural Eastern Uganda after COVID-19 lockdown

“…Unlike alcohol, most of the other substances such as cannabis, cocaine and others are illegal and not readily available for sale on market which makes accessibility more difficult which possibly explains the lower prevalence of both ever and current use 39 . This is in line with finding from most of the existing literature which has documented alcohol to be the most commonly used substance among students 40,41 . Generally, more students had low risk use of alcohol and other substances which show the need to ensure that they keep abstaining or do not worsen their substance use habits to prevent progression to high-risk use.…”

Burden of alcohol and other substance use and correlates among undergraduate students at Busitema University in rural Eastern Uganda after COVID-19 lockdown

“…Unlike alcohol, most of the other substances such as cannabis, cocaine and others are illegal and not readily available for sale on market which makes accessibility more di cult which possibly explains the lower prevalence of both ever and current use 30 . This is in line with nding from most of the existing literature which has documented alcohol to be the most commonly used substance among students 31,32 . Generally, more students had low risk use of alcohol and other substance which show the need to ensure that they keep abstaining or do not worsen their substance use habits to prevent progression to high risk use.…”

Alcohol use disorder research in India: An update

“…The overall prevalence of ever alcohol use in this population was 27.1% (95% CI: 23.0% to 31.1%, n = 11,823), with notably higher odds among males. [ 30 ]…”