The significance of information variables in polydrug use by adolescents: insights from a cross-sectional study in Tarragona (Spain).

Substance use, especially among adolescents, is a significant public health concern, with profound implications for physical and psychological development. This study aimed to evaluate the quantity and sources of information available to adolescents regarding polydrug use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tarragona involving adolescents with an average age of 16.44 years. This study assessed the number of substances used (alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis) in the past month, along with information sources related to substance use. Monitored sources (e.g., schools, parents, and mass media) and unmonitored sources (e.g., peers, siblings, internet) were distinguished. In addition, four individual and four environmental control variables were considered. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that incorporating variables related to adolescents' substance use information and its sources enhanced the explanatory model, surpassing control variables. The degree of information about substance use did not significantly explain consumption patterns, but the number of information sources, both monitored and unmonitored, did. The unmonitored sources were associated with increased polydrug use. Conversely, greater reliance on supervised sources for information was linked to reduced single-substance and polydrug use. This protective effect increased with an increase in the number of substances used. In conclusion, information obtained from monitored sources acts as a deterrent to substance consumption, consistent with findings suggesting that greater health literacy among adolescents discourages substance use. Conversely, this study suggests that information from more informal sources may encourage heavier polydrug use, aligning with reports indicating that adolescents with a more comprehensive understanding of substance use consequences tend to engage in heavier drug use.

Explaining Cannabis Use by Adolescents: A Comparative Assessment of Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Ordered Logistic Regression.

Background: This study assesses the relevance of several factors that the literature on the substance use of adolescents considers relevant. The factors embed individual variables, such as gender or age; factors linked with parental style; and variables that are associated with the teenager's social environment. Methods: The study applies complementarily ordered logistic regression (OLR) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in a sample of 1935 teenagers of Tarragona (Spain). Results: The OLR showed that being female (OR = 0.383; p < 0.0001), parental monitoring (OR = 0.587; p = 0.0201), and religiousness (OR = 0.476; p = 0.006) are significant inhibitors of cannabis consumption. On the other hand, parental tolerance to substance use (OR = 42.01; p < 0.0001) and having close peers that consume substances (OR = 5.60; p < 0.0001) act as enablers. The FsQCA allowed for fitting the linkages between the factors from a complementary perspective. (1) The coverage (cov) and consistency (cons) attained by the explanatory solutions of use (cons = 0.808; cov = 0.357) are clearly lower than those obtained by the recipes for nonuse (cons = 0.952; cov = 0.869). (2) The interaction of being male, having a tolerant family to substance use, and peer attitudes toward substances are continuously present in the profiles that are linked to a risk of cannabis smoking. (3) The most important recipe that explains resistance to cannabis is simply parental disagreement with substance consumption. Conclusions: On the one hand, the results of the OLR allow for determining the strength of an evaluated risk or protective factors according to the value of the OR. On the other hand, the fsQCA allows for the identification not only of profiles where there is a high risk of cannabis use, but also profiles where there is a low risk.

[Explanatory factors on the acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from consumer's behaviour perspective.] / Factores explicativos de la aceptación de la vacuna para el SARS-CoV-2 desde la perspectiva del comportamiento del consumidor.

OBJECTIVE: The success of policies to eradicate COVID-19 depends on the acceptance of vaccines among the population. This paper measures the influence on the intention to get vaccinated of three usual variables in studies on consumer behavior: the perception of the efficiency and risk of the vaccine and the social influence. METHODS: It was used a survey of 600 residents in Spain that was answered during September 2020 has been used. That survey was conveniently stratified by age and monthly income. The impact of the explanatory variables on the intention to use the vaccine was measured with generalized linear models: logistic regression and truncated negative binomial regression. Contro variables were gender, age and monthly income. RESULTS: We have observed a positive (negative) influence of the variables efficacy perception and social influence (perception of risk), i.e. a ratio of rate use above (below) 1 that is statistically significant (p<0.01 in the case of the first two variables and p<0.05 in the third). Their importance follows the order described above. Neither gender nor age were significant in the intention to get vaccinated, but the income level was. We identified that at the highest income levels there was a greater propensity to reject the vaccine (p<0.1). CONCLUSIONS: The results may be useful to guide the information policy that health authorities should carry out in order to induce the population to use the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

OBJETIVO: El éxito de las políticas para erradicar la COVID-19 depende de la aceptación que tengan las vacunas entre la población. Este trabajo midió la influencia en la intención de vacunarse contra el SARS-CoV-2 de tres variables usuales en estudios sobre el comportamiento del consumidor: la percepción de la eficiencia, el riesgo de la vacuna y la influencia social. METODOS: Se utilizó una encuesta a 600 residentes en España, realizada durante septiembre de 2020, que fue estratificada por edades e ingresos medios mensuales. El impacto de las variables explicativas sobre la intención de uso de la vacuna fue medido con modelos lineales generalizados: regresión logística y regresión binomial negativa truncada. Las variables de control fueron el género, la edad y los ingresos mensuales. RESULTADOS: Observamos que la influencia de la percepción de la eficacia y la influencia social (percepción del riesgo) fue positiva (negativa) hacia la intención de vacunarse, siendo los ratios de tasas de uso de la vacuna mayores (menores) que 1 estadísticamente significativas (p<0,01 en el caso de las dos primeras variables y p<0,05 en la tercera). Ni el género ni la edad resultaron estadísticamente significativos en la intención de vacunarse pero si lo fue el nivel de renta. Identificamos que en los mayores niveles de renta había una superior propensión a rechazar la vacuna (p<0,1). CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados pueden ser útiles para orientar la política informativa que deberán llevar a cabo las autoridades sanitarias al efecto de inducir a la población al uso de la vacuna para el SARS-CoV-2.