Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco use, alcohol drinking, and illicit drug use among night high school students in Japan.

METHOD:

247 students (180 boys and 67 girls) from 3 night high schools were asked to complete self-administered anonymous questionnaires in classrooms. The average age of the participants was 18.7 years.

RESULTS:

Overall, 76.0% of the participants reported lifetime alcohol use, and 44.0% reported drinking alcohol during the past 30 days. Of the former, 24.6% reported experiencing alcohol-induced blackouts and 18.9% reported drinking alcohol without adult supervision at the age of 13 years or younger. 58.3% of the participants reported experimenting with smoking cigarettes, 42.3% reported having smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, and 34.8% reported smoking cigarettes daily. 43.0% of the participants who had experienced smoking cigarettes had started smoking at the age of 13 years or younger. The lifetime prevalence of any illicit drugs was 9.8% for boys and 5.2% for girls; overall, it was 8.6%. The most commonly used illicit drugs were marijuana (6.4%), inhalants (6.4%), butane gas (4.5%), and nitrites (3.2%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Although the results showed that there were no significant differences in alcohol drinking experience between night high school and general high school students, problematic drinking behavior was observed. In the case of cigarette smoking, night high school students outnumber general high school students. In previous studies in Japan, the former population showed the highest prevalence of illicit drug use. These findings provide evidence that substance use represents a problem among night high school students. Based on this evidence, health education in night high schools should include not only zero tolerance for or abstinence from substance use but also secondary and tertiary prevention approaches.