Prevalence of substance use disorders in an urban and a rural area in Suriname

Abstract

Background Alcohol use disorders (AUD) have the worst impact in low-middle-income countries (LMICs), where the disease burden per liter of alcohol consumed is higher than in wealthy populations. Furthermore, the median treatment gap for AUDs in LMICs is 78.1%. The highest prevalence of AUDs worldwide in 2004 was found in the western Pacific region, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. The main aim of this study was to estimate and compare the prevalence of risky alcohol use and the extent of the treatment gap in a rural (Nickerie) and in an urban (Paramaribo) area in Suriname, a LMICs country with a wide variety of ethnic groups. Methods The respondents were randomly recruited using a specific sampling method of the National Census Bureau. The final samples were 1837 households for Paramaribo and 1026 for Nickerie, reflecting the populations in both regions. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were used to assess the likelihood of the presence of alcohol use disorder. A score of > 7 for the AUDIT implies risky alcohol use. Results The results indicated that 2% of the women and 15% of the men in the rural area scored 8 or higher on the AUDIT. In the urban area, these numbers were 3% and 17%, respectively. In both samples, the men had the highest addiction risk at about 16% compared with 2% for females. Married persons are significantly less likely to become alcoholic than singles and other groups in Paramaribo. In both areas, higher education was associated with a lower probability of alcohol abuse and dependence, while handymen showed a higher odd. A treatment gap of 50% was found for alcohol use disorders in the rural area. The corresponding gap in the urban area was 64%. Conclusions Surinamese men show a high prevalence of the likelihood of AUD. In addition, the treatment gap for these possible patients is large. It is therefore of paramount importance to develop therapeutic strategies with the aim of tackling this physically and mentally disabling disorder. Tailored E-health programs may be of benefit.

Pattern of substance use and substance use disorder in adolescent learners at public secondary schools in Gaborone, Botswana

“…Little is known about factors that may lead to the development of SUDs in adolescents [6]. Studies have investigated the possible risk factors associated with substance use and SUDs in adult populations [9]. In a study conducted in Suriname's (South America) urban and rural areas, men were more likely to develop SUD than women [9].…”

“…Studies have investigated the possible risk factors associated with substance use and SUDs in adult populations [9]. In a study conducted in Suriname's (South America) urban and rural areas, men were more likely to develop SUD than women [9]. Being married and having a higher education were protective, while the lower-income occupation was associated with increased SUD [9].…”

A Survey of Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Urban and Rural Suriname

“…For the purposes of the survey two districts were selected from the total of ten in the country: Paramaribo, Wanica, Nickerie, Coronie, Saramacca, Commewijne, Para, Marowijne, Brokopondo and Sipaliwini. The results relating to alcohol and other substance use have been described in a separate paper [23]. The present paper looks at the results for depression and anxiety.…”

Norms and T-scores for Alcohol, Depression and Anxiety Screeners for The Population of Suriname

“…A strati ed sampling method was used by random selection of respondents from 5 resorts of Nickerie and 12 resorts of Paramaribo, assuring a balanced geographical distribution of respondents. See for more details on the study (Jadnanansing et al, 2021). Table 1 provides demographic data for the participants.…”

“…These screeners were developed for epidemiological or clinical research studies, but have been successfully applied in mental health service settings (Batterham et al, 2018). In 2016 we have administered these screeners in a large epidemiological population survey in Suriname, a Non-Latin Caribbean country, to investigate the treatment gap for CMD (Jadnanansing et al, 2021).…”