Perception of the risk in adolescents on the consumption of addictive substances

Abstract

Introduction: The consumption of addictive substances by adolescents constitutes a growing problem worldwide.  Ecuador has the highest reports with respect to other countries in South America.  Objective: To determine the level of perception of the irrigation of adolescents in relation to the consumption of addictive substances.  Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study in a non-probabilistic, intentional sample of 431 adolescents.  Results: the most used psychotropic substances are alcoholic beverages in 60.2%;  there is a predominance of the beginning of substance use between 14 and 18 years of age and 4.4% reveal that they have presented health problems due to the consumption of these substances.  Conclusions: There is a low level of perception of the risk of adolescents in relation to substance use, which indicates the need to reinforce the knowledge of the potential harm they cause in this vulnerable group.