Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Substance Use and Its Determinants Among College Students in a Coastal Town of South India

Background: Substance use among adolescents is increasing at an astounding rate globally posing a major threat to the health system and the society. This problem can be tackled if the adolescents are equipped with knowledge and positive attitude towards substance use. This study was an attempt to assess the knowledge and attitude towards substance use based on consumption and its determinants among college students.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,170 college students aged 18 years and above in Udupi taluk for two years using a predesigned questionnaire. Factors associated with knowledge and attitude towards substance use were identified using multiple logistic regression.

Results: The mean age of study participants was 19 ± 1.38 years with 39(1.8%) of them indulging in substance use. Around 434(20%) and 1866(86%) of them had good knowledge and positive attitude towards substance use respectively. Though the substance users had better knowledge as compared to non-users, attitude was better in the non-users. Paternal education, affluent socioeconomic status and usage of substances significantly correlated with knowledge. Gender and substance usage were independent predictors of attitude.

Conclusions: The present study reveals that substance use is low among college students in Udupi taluk. Though knowledge about substance use is better in users as compared to non-users, the attitude is better in non-users. This calls for an urgent need to have health education sessions in the respective colleges with collaborative efforts of parents, teachers, and psychological counsellors to address the ill effects of substance.