Average Age Of School-Going Children Consuming Drugs Smoking In Indian Cities Is Around Years Study Multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi shows increased rate in higher grade adolescents using substance across diverse regions Novel Delhi School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around years suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said… The findings also showed substance leverage increased in higher grades with grade XI XII students two times more likely to report leverage of substances when compared with grade VIII students… This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school… The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS’s National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre published in the National Medical Journal of India this month looks at adolescent substance employ across diverse regions… In addition, the survey included students from classes and in urban government private and rural schools across cities — Bengaluru Chandigarh Delhi Dibrugarh Hyderabad Imphal Jammu Lucknow Mumbai and Ranchi… The data were collected between May and June… The average age of initiation for any substance was years… It was lowest for inhalants years followed by heroin years and opioid pharmaceuticals without prescription years… Overall per cent of participants reported lifetime employ per cent reported past year use and per cent reported implement in the past month of any substance the study found… Migraine Specialist near me in Shaikpet Manikonda Hyderabad In addition, the most common substances used in the past year after tobacco per cent and alcohol per cent were opioids per cent followed by cannabis per cent and inhalants per cent… Utilize of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users per cent… On being asked ‘Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age’ separately for each substance category nearly half the students per cent endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students per cent agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products… Similarly for Bhang per cent ganja charas per cent inhalants per cent sedatives per cent opium and heroin per cent each the students endorsed that these can be easily procured… About per cent of the children irrespective of their grade agreed with the statement that ‘drug use is harmful’… Undoubtedly, the rates of substance use any among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance utilize ever use in the past year and employ in the past days… Undoubtedly, compared to grade VIII students grade IX students were more likely and grade XI XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance ever… The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI XII students as compared to grade VIII students… About per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each… However, the use of cannabis any product and opioid any product by a family member was reported by per cent and per cent of students respectively while the leverage of other substances such as inhalants sedatives by family was – per cent the study found… As a result, a relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members while a higher percentage reported inhalants sedatives cannabis or opioid utilize among peers… On the other hand, children using substances past year compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance leverage by their family members and peers… There were per cent students who replied ‘yes’ to the question ‘conflicts fights often occur in your family’… Most students also replied affirmatively to ‘family members are aware of how their time is being spent’ and ‘family members are aware of with whom they spend their time’..