Knowledge on Drug Abuse Among MBBS First Year Students of Chitwan Medical College

Abstract

Background: Currently, drug abuse is booming in developing countries including Nepal, which may directly affect personal as well as socioeconomic condition of individual and community. Teenage, being the most crucial stage of life, is the age when teenagers want to explore a lot of things and is curious about new experiments. So, they think that, drugs assist them to overcome all the problems they face in day to day life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge regarding drug abuse among MBBS first year students of Chitwan Medical College. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the knowledge regarding drug abuse among MBBS first year students of CMC. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information, which was adopted from previous studies. Study participants were briefed about the nature of the study and the procedure of completing the questionnaire was explained. After completion of the questionnaire, data was collected, reviewed, organized and expressed as counts/percentages and statically analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The current study showed that, majority 81.3% of the participants had satisfactory whereas 18.8% of the participants had unsatisfactory level of knowledge about drug abuse. Conclusions: Majority of the MBBS first year students had satisfactory knowledge regarding drug abuse and only few had unsatisfactory knowledge. So, for them it is deemed necessary to update their knowledge regarding drug abuse, as it is one of the crucial matters of concern these days.

Knowledge and Attitude on Substance Abuse among Higher Secondary Schools Adolescents in Kathmandu District

“…8,11 Our study revealed that bad relationship between parents and children (60%) followed by friends pressure (40.2%) as a reason to start drugs, another study explored in Chitwan, Nepal the consistent findings which depicts that Majority of the participants were familiar about the main cause as teenage curiosity/peer pressure, relationship between parents and child (96.9%). 12 The consistent findings was found in which majority of respondent responded causes of drug abuse is bad relationship with family, to feel relax, failed in exam and film stars and idols which are shown on television. 13,11 This parallel findings could be because of familiarly with in our socio cultural context.…”

“…8 On the contrary, study conducted by Paudel, Chaurasia, Bhurtyal & Karki, Begum & Devi has shown no any significant association between these variables. 9,10 On the contrary, other study conducted by Bhattarai & Chudal has shown a significant association between these variables. This inconsistent findings may be due to different study population and setting.…”

“…These findings are in contrast to the other study findings done in Egypt which stated as Cannabis was the commonest in all regions followed by Alcohol (28.6% of total use) as the 2nd common substance of use in all Egyptian. 11,12 The probable difference for this explanation might be different background with their own observation and exposure.…”

“…which is in accordance to the study done in chitwan by Paudel Chaurasia & Nurmala, Muthmainnah, Hariastuti, Devi Nurvita Ruwandasari . 10,11 Majority (82.4%) of them state oral route followed by inhalation (63.7%) is the routes of abusing substance. Majority (88.1%) of respondents expressed alcohol is one of the commonly available substances followed by tobacco (56.8%), Cannabis (22.5%).…”

“….Majority (72.4%) of respondent revealed providing family and social support is treatment of drug addiction followed by (61.1%) enhancing individual motivation to quit substance .The result was consistent with the findings from Paudel, Chaurasia, Bhurtyal & Karki state that Supportive therapy, Awareness program, involve in peer to peer and prevention program and counselling are ways to prevent and treat from drug abuse. 12,9 On attitude towards substance abuse of respondents each statement was analyzed individually. More than one third (35.1%) respondents were not ok to take alcohol, tobacco and other drugs occasionally.…”