Sustancias psicoactivas, uso de internet y juegos electrónicos : observatorio epidemiológico para la Universidad Católica de Colombia.

Abstract

This study shows the design of an epidemiology observatory at a Colombian Community College. This observatory monitors the high risk and protection situations, the associated events, the psychoactive drugs abuse and the Internet use. At the beginning a questionnaire of prevalence of psychoactive drug abuse and their associated factors as well as the use of electronic games and the internet was apliied to a representative sample of students. At the same time, an epidemiological viligance program qas developed, the name of the programs is V.I.P. (Value, Initiative and Projection) and includes the following sections: detection at the first year of college, monitoring the risk factors, temporal risk mapping, reference detec­tion, case registration, support groups, evolution and evaluatin. The information collected by the V.I.P. helps to design and implement prevention and intervention strategies. The results of the questionnaire found nicotine and alcohol abuse as well as use of electronic games and internet at the same level, and a less scale abuse of other substances. Finally, a grade diffi­culty index (associated to psychoactive drugs) abuse, internet and electronic game's use) was applied. The results show differences by semester, department and sex. The abuse levels increased in relationship to the Jaimes & cols. (1995) evaluation.