Polydrug Use of Tobacco and Cannabis in a Cohort of Young People from Central Catalonia (2012–2020)
Eva Codinach-Danés,
Núria Obradors-Rial,
Helena González-Casals,
Maria Rosa Cirera-Guàrdia,
Queralt Miró Catalina,
Josep Vidal-Alaball,
Albert Espelt
Affiliations
Eva Codinach-Danés
Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Catalan Health Institute, C/Pica d’Estats 13-15, 08272 Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
Núria Obradors-Rial
Department of Epidemiology and Methodology of Social and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences of Manresa, Universitat de Vic—Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Av. Universitària 4-6, 08242 Manresa, Spain
Helena González-Casals
Department of Epidemiology and Methodology of Social and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences of Manresa, Universitat de Vic—Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Av. Universitària 4-6, 08242 Manresa, Spain
Maria Rosa Cirera-Guàrdia
Centre d’Atenció Primària Sant Quirze de Besora, Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Institut Català de la Salut, Pg del Ter 21, 08580 Sant Quirze de Besora, Spain
Queralt Miró Catalina
Unitat de Suport a la Recerca de la Catalunya Central, Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol, C/Pica d’Estats 13-15, 08272 Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
Josep Vidal-Alaball
Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Catalan Health Institute, C/Pica d’Estats 13-15, 08272 Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
Albert Espelt
Department of Epidemiology and Methodology of Social and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences of Manresa, Universitat de Vic—Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Av. Universitària 4-6, 08242 Manresa, Spain
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of tobacco and cannabis use, and their relationship, in a cohort of adolescents from Central Catalonia in the period 2012–2020. The study had a prospective longitudinal design with 828 students in the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education. In 2012, 828 adolescents answered a health behaviour survey; in 2016, 342; and in 2020, 265. The dependent variables were: exclusive last month tobacco use; exclusive last month cannabis use; polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis; and no use of tobacco and cannabis in the last month. Independent variables were sex and follow-up year. For the analysis, prevalences were used with a significance level of 0.05. Polydrug use went from 11.5% (95% CI: 7.4–17.6) among girls and 8.2% (95% CI: 4.3–15.2) among boys in 2012, to 7.0% (95% CI: 3.9–12.3) among girls and 13.7% (95% CI: 8.4–21.7) among boys in 2020. With regards to those girls who used polydrug in the last month in 2012, 33.3% (14.8–58.9) continued using it in 2016, and 22.2% (7.9–48.6) continued in 2020; among boys, 33.3% (14.8–58.9) of those polydrug users in 2012 continued using it in 2016, and 44.4% (14.5–79.0) continued in 2020. There is association between tobacco and cannabis use, and there is an important percentage of young people who do polydrug consumption at very early ages.
