Prevalence and correlates of addictive behaviours among adolescents in Chandigarh, North India.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of addictive behaviors among in-school and out-of-school adolescents of age 13–19 years in Chandigarh, India. Methods: Problem Behavior Theory (PBT) was used to identify the risk and protective factors for addictive problem behaviors among adolescents. Results: A total of 1634 adolescents were included from in-school (n = 1134) and out-of-school (n = 500) categories. The prevalence of addictive behaviors was 19.1% (current smoking 6%, alcohol drinking 6.1%, and drug use 7%) among adolescents aged 13 to 19. Significant predictors of smoking were being male (aOR = 4.43; 95%CI: 1.92,10.20; p <.001) and having a working father (aOR = 3.19; 95%CI: 1.10, 9.20; p <.05). Total protective score [smoking: aOR = 0.99; 95% CI:0.97, 0.99: p <.05; alcohol use: aOR:0.98;95% CI:0.97,0.99; p <.01; drug use: OR:0.99, 95%CI: 0.98,0.99; p <.05] and total risk score [smoking: aOR = 1.14; 95%CI:1.11, 1.17: p <.001; alcohol use: aOR:1.10;95% CI:1.07,1.12; p <.001; drug use: aOR:1.05, 95%CI: 1.04,1.06 p <.001] were significantly associated with all three addictive behaviors. Conclusions: The current study's findings can inform the development of intervention programs focusing on both adolescents and communities (social environment surrounding adolescents) to enhance the protection of adolescents at risk for addictive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]