Prevalence of Drug and Substance Use among Malaysian Youth: A Nationwide Survey

Rozmi Ismail, Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf, Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, Azmawati Mohammed Nawi, Norhayati Ibrahim, Novel Lyndon, Noh Amit, Ezarina Zakaria, Muhammad Ajib Abd Razak, Norshaffika Izzaty Zaiedy Nor, Md Shafiin Shukor and Aimi Fadzirul Kamarubahrin
Additional contact information
Rozmi Ismail: Psychology and Human Wellbeing Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Rohaizat Hassan: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Selangor, Malaysia
Azmawati Mohammed Nawi: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Selangor, Malaysia
Norhayati Ibrahim: Health Psychology Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Campus, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Selangor, Malaysia
Novel Lyndon: School of Development, Social and Environmental, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Noh Amit: Health Psychology Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Campus, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Selangor, Malaysia
Ezarina Zakaria: Psychology and Human Wellbeing Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Muhammad Ajib Abd Razak: Psychology and Human Wellbeing Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Norshaffika Izzaty Zaiedy Nor: Psychology and Human Wellbeing Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Md Shafiin Shukor: UKM Pakarunding, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Aimi Fadzirul Kamarubahrin: UKM Pakarunding, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: Uncontrolled drug and substance use (DSU) may pose unprecedented threats to nation building and a country’s socioeconomic development. Despite considerable efforts made and resources used to address DSU concerns, Malaysia has seen a significant annual rise in cases of DSU. The bulk of the reported cases originate from youth between the ages of 15 and 40 years. To date, data related to DSU in Malaysia have been entirely dependent on operation statistics, arrest counts, and reported cases; DSU may therefore be under-reported and the data obtained not representative at the national level. This study aims to determine the prevalence of DSU among Malaysian youth through a large nationwide representative survey. Of the population of 11,129,316 youth aged 15–40 years, the prevalence of DSU among lifetime users was found to be 5.5%, while for those who had taken drugs in the past 30 days or who currently use them, the prevalence of DSU was found to be 3.5%. The most popular drugs for lifetime users were kratom or Mitragyna speciosa , while for current users the most popular drug was cannabis. The current study reports the magnitude of the problem at a country-wide level, which is a crucial preliminary effort for crafting evidence-based and well-informed policies.

Keywords: prevalence; substance and drug abuse; youth; Malaysia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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