Second and third year medical students’ self-reported alcohol and substance use, smoking habits and academic performance at a South African medical school

• Published in: Health SA = SA Gesondheid Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Van Zyl, Sanet, Van der Merwe, Lynette J., Vorster, Annelize, Gerber, Anthonie M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: South Africa AOSIS 2019; African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS; AOSIS (Pty) Ltd; AOSIS Publishing on behalf of University of Johannesburg
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Academic performance; Age; Alcohol; Anesthesia; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Cigarettes; Data collection; Drug abuse; Drug use; Health Care Sciences & Services; Health Policy & Services; Health sciences; LSD (Drug); Magic; Marijuana; Medical personnel; Medical personnel training; Medical schools; Medical students; Methamphetamine; Original Research; Prescription drugs; Prescriptions (Drugs); Questionnaires; Smoking; Smoking habits; Students; Substance abuse; Water pipes; Young adults; South Africa; Medical students; Drug abuse; Alcohol; Academic performance; Smoking habits
• DOI: 10.4102/hsag.v24i0.1041
• EISSN: 2071-9736
• ISSN: 1025-9848; 2071-9736

Background: Health professional students frequently use alcohol and narcotics. The potential impact on academic performance and professional behaviour is concerning.Aim: This study aimed to determine self-reported use of alcohol, illicit substances (e.g. cannabis, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], magic mushroom, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, methamphetamine and heroin), prescription medication and smoking habits, correlating academic performance.Setting: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State.Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. Information was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire, capturing demographics, self-reported academic performance, drinking and smoking habits, and substance use. Coded responses were analysed using the Remark Office OMR 8 Software System. Descriptive statistics were calculated for categorical variables.Results: Completed questionnaires comprised 171 students. A total of 78.4% of second year and 82.8% of third year students reported using alcohol. Twenty-two per cent of second year and 24.1% of third year students reported cannabis use. In the second year group, three (2.7%) students reported using magic mushroom, two (1.8%) reported cocaine, two (1.8%) reported ecstasy and one (0.9%) reported using methamphetamine. Only third year students reported using LSD or ‘crack’. Cigarette smoking was common – 31.5% and 35.1% in both groups, respectively. Smokeless tobacco devices were used by 8.5% of second year and 7.1% of third year students. Almost 40% of both groups reported that they had smoked a water pipe. Academic performance achieved was mostly 60% – 69% (38.9%) among second year students and 70% – 79% (46.6%) among third year students.Conclusion: Self-reported use of alcohol and drugs and smoking among medical students is alarming. Additional student support, early identification and referral for management and/ or rehabilitation should be a priority at tertiary institutions responsible for training future healthcare professionals.