Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37963690›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2023

Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica.

Kunal Lalwani, Patrice Whitehorne-Smith, Joni-Gaye McLeary, Neena Albarus, Wendel Abel

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Kunal LalwaniDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, Jamaica kunal_lalwani@rocketmail.com.ORCID 0009-0006-0667-1181
Patrice Whitehorne-SmithSchool of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Joni-Gaye McLearyDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, Jamaica.
Neena AlbarusSchool of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.
Wendel AbelDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, Jamaica.
University of the West Indies System · JMCurtin University · AUUniversity of California, Berkeley · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to examine concurrent polysubstance use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana and determine correlations with access to marijuana, friend and familial drug use habits, risk perception and the age of initiation associated with the singular use of these substances.

designA secondary data analysis.

settingUsed the Jamaica National Drug Prevalence Survey 2016 dataset.

participantsInvolved the entire dataset comprising 4623 randomly selected respondents between 12 and 65 years old. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome: concurrent polysubstance use recorded as using two or more of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Predictor variables include risk perception and age of initiation of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, ease of marijuana access and family and friend alcohol and illegal drug use.

resultsApproximately 58%-66% of respondents commenced singular alcohol, tobacco or marijuana use under 17. Participants commencing marijuana use at 11 years and under and between 12 and 17 were 3.346 and 4.560 times more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.030 and p<0.001). Respondents who did not believe that smoking tobacco sometimes (p=0.049), and smoking marijuana sometimes and often was harmful, had increased odds of concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.047 and p<0.001, respectively). Respondents who indicated access to marijuana as easy were significantly more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use compared with those who reported access as difficult (p=0.002). Participants who indicated that friends or family members get drunk and take illegal drugs were associated with 1.722 and 1.864 increased odds of reporting past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.004 and p=0.017, respectively).

conclusionsDecreased perceived risk, childhood and adolescent age of initiation and easy access to marijuana were significantly associated with polysubstance use among Jamaicans. The influence of friends and family members' drug and alcohol use behaviours on individuals developing polysubstance use habits further endorses the need for interventions.

Indexed as

CannabisMarijuana SmokingSubstance-Related DisordersAdolescentAdultAgedAlcohol DrinkingChildEthanolHumansJamaicaMiddle AgedYoung AdultEthanolpublic healthrisk factorssubstance misuse

Identifiers

PMID37963690
PMCPMC10649390
OpenAlexW4388652999

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.