ABSTRACT
We conducted a cross sectional study of 3958 college students in north of Iran in 2005 with an anonymous questionnaire that was adapted from the questionnaires used in "Monitoring the future". Three thousand seven hundred students responded (93.5%). Lifetime prevalence use of ecstasy, opium and cannabis was 4.3%, 2.7% and 2.4% respectively. The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 19.5%. After the logistic regression, the factors influencing ecstasy use were use of other illicit drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoking (P<0.000), widow or divorced (ρ=0.007) and higher educational background of mother (ρ=0.019).
ABSTRACT
This was a cross-sectional prevalence study to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and high-risk behaviours in drug abusers admitted to prison in Guilan province, northern Islamic Republic of Iran. Subjects were asked about risk behaviours for acquiring HCV and blood was drawn for HCV antibody testing using ELISA techniques. Of 460 inmates, the mean duration of drug use was 8.9 years; 51.7% were opium users and 18.3% heroin users. HCV risk behaviours were common in this population and 209 inmates (45.4%) were HCV antibody positive (88.9% of intravenous drug abusers). HCV-positive status was significantly associated with intravenous drug use, having skin tattoos and number of times in prison.
