Factors associated with cocaine smoking in students at Santa Marta, Colombia

Background: Cocaine smoking is in the second place of illegal substance use among Colombian adolescents; however, there is little information about its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed for which participated in high-school students between 13 and 17 years. Crude and adjusted associations were calculated for cocaine smoking. Results: A group of 1,462 adolescent students (M=14.4 years, SD=0.8) participated in the research, 60.3% were females, and 55.3% studied in the tenth grade. A total of 40 students (2.7%) reported lifetime cocaine smoking. Cocaine smoking was associated with lifetime cannabis smoking (OR=8.34, 95%CI 3.70-18.80), lifetime cigarette smoking (OR=7.96, 95%CI 2.96-21.43), risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=2.43, 95%CI 1.20-4.95), and studying in the tenth grade (OR=2.38, 95%CI 1.14-4.98). Conclusions: Cannabis and cigarette smoking are the main variables associated with lifetime cocaine smoking among high-school adolescents from Santa Marta, Colombia. It is necessary to explore other factors associated with cocaine smoking in adolescent students.