Reproductive Health Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Nov 23;20(1):1773. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09908-7.
Crystal (methamphetamine) is a strong stimulant of addictive substances that affects the central nervous system. The consumption of this substance is increasing among teenagers and adult young people in the country. In this matter, one of the practical and important ways to its control is to identify the factors leading to its first use. Thus this paper, explores the factors related to the first crystal use in Golestan province, Iran.
In a qualitative study, 19 crystal users were recruited in the study conducted in Golestan province by snowball sampling from DIC (Drop-In Center) in addiction treatment centers. The interviews were mostly carried out individually with the participants; only one interview was conducted in an addiction treatment camp in the form of a group-focused discussion. Data analysis was implemented through content analysis in MAXQDA 10 software.
The mean age of the participants was 35.05 ± 6.06 years with a range of 23-46 years. Meanwhile, the mean of crystal use period was 7.42 (SD: 3.61) and a range of 1-14 years. Based on the obtained data, the reasons for first crystal use could be categorized in six; 1: "crystal use to other drugs rehabilitation"; 2: "Lack of awareness of the addictive nature of crystal"; 3: "stimulating curiosity in public with crystal-use friends", 4: affordable and convenient use", 5: "anti-sleeping effects and increasing work efficiency", and 6: "therapeutic and other misconceptions"".
The results indicated that crystal is mostly abused to opium rehabilitation. The lack of awareness and misconceptions about this substance can lead people to crystal use. Therefore, designing public health interventions to increase awareness about negative consequences of crystal use is fundamental to prevent people from abusing it. We suggest designing public health program to promote awareness about health risks of crystal and modifying related misconceptions. Finally, the government can establish policies to mandate sale tax for crystal producers and reduce easy access to crystal especially among youth.
冰毒（甲基苯丙胺）是一种作用于中枢神经系统的强力成瘾物质刺激剂。在我国，青少年和成年年轻人对这种物质的消费正在增加。在这方面，控制这种物质的一种实用且重要的方法是确定导致首次使用的因素。因此，本文探讨了伊朗戈勒斯坦省首次使用冰毒的相关因素。
在一项定性研究中，通过在成瘾治疗中心的 DIC（Drop-In Center）中采用滚雪球抽样，从伊朗戈勒斯坦省招募了 19 名冰毒使用者。访谈主要以个人形式与参与者进行；只有一次访谈是以小组为重点的讨论形式在一个成瘾治疗营地进行的。数据分析是通过 MAXQDA 10 软件进行的内容分析。
参与者的平均年龄为 35.05±6.06 岁，范围为 23-46 岁。同时，冰毒使用期的平均值为 7.42（SD：3.61），范围为 1-14 年。根据获得的数据，首次使用冰毒的原因可分为以下六类：1. “冰毒用于其他毒品康复”；2. “缺乏对冰毒成瘾性的认识”；3. “与使用冰毒的朋友在公共场合刺激好奇心”；4. “负担得起且使用方便”；5. “抗睡眠和提高工作效率”；6. “治疗和其他误解”。
结果表明，冰毒主要用于阿片类药物康复。对这种物质缺乏认识和误解会导致人们使用冰毒。因此，设计公共卫生干预措施来提高对冰毒使用的负面后果的认识是预防人们滥用冰毒的基础。我们建议设计公共卫生计划，以提高人们对冰毒健康风险的认识并纠正相关误解。最后，政府可以制定政策，对冰毒生产者征收销售税，并减少冰毒的易得性，特别是在年轻人中。
