Introduction:

Smoking is a public health problem worldwide. It is currently considered the leading cause of preventable death in the world. The simultaneous use of tobacco and marijuana is associated with a higher risk of persistence and relapse of both substances. In the last few years, the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems in young people has increased worldwide, due to the novelty of their use, the large number of flavors and the conception that its use is less harmful. The aim of the present work was to estimate the prevalence of tobacco, marijuana and electronic cigarette consumption in the Uruguayan population between 15 and 21 years of age, the association of consumption between them and the perception of the risk linked to their use.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out during February-April 2021. An anonymous, voluntary and self-administered survey was distributed among social networks and public and private schools throughout the country. SPSS 25 data software was used for data processing, considering a significance level of 0.05.

Results and Discussion:

1517 responses were processed. It was found that 54% smoked cigarettes at some point and 19.7% smoked regularly in the last month. 48% used marijuana at some point and 19.4% did so in the last month. The prevalences found for tobacco and marijuana are higher than those reported in the national literature. With regard to electronic cigarettes, there is no local data available for this age range, with the present study reporting that 32% used it at some point. Of those who smoke cigarettes, 84% and 58% used marijuana and e-cigarettes at some point, respectively. Of those who used electronic cigarettes at some point, 50% never smoked or only tried traditional cigarettes; this could attest to electronic cigarettes acting as a gateway to smoking in young people. A significant association between consuming one of the three substances and having a father, mother or guardian who consumes or consumed them was found, data consistent with local records. Regarding risk perception, 98% agreed that tobacco is harmful, 66% agreed so with marijuana and 81% agreed so with electronic cigarettes. When analyzing specific diseases, substantial differences were observed depending on the drug. 73% believe that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than smoking regular cigarettes.

Conclusions:

It was shown that there is a high prevalence of consumption of these substances in young people and a considerable association between them. Interestingly, there was a similar prevalence of consumption of cigarettes and marijuana in the last month. This is especially relevant given that there was a significant difference between the risk perception of cigarettes vs marijuana, with the latter being considerably less. Regarding electronic cigarettes, there is an underestimation of the harm associated with their use. Therefore, it would be of hierarchy to promulgate public policies directed to this problem.

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