Introduction:

The use of illicit drugs by adolescents is a worrying phenomenon in public health. Family, social, economic and personal determinants are risk factors for consumption. Knowing the circumstances that predispose to drug use in vulnerable adolescent populations is important in order to direct interventions to reduce its use.

Materials and Methods:

This was an observational, retrospective, prevalence study with an analytical component; carried out from August to October 2019, in a low-income urban area of the city of Asunción. The population consisted of adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. We used non-probability sampling. The Chi-square test was used to establish associations. With prior informed consent, an instrument of 15 close-ended questions was applied, which was answered in the presence of the researcher. After being answered, the surveys were sealed and transported to the research center.

Results:

we enrolled 47 participantes to the study, 56% were male. Total prevalence of illicit drug use was 32%. Risk factors for drug use were: being male, a history of drug use in the family, dropping out of school, and alcohol consumption by the adolescent. (p <0.001).

Conclusions:

the risk factors for the use of illicit substances in adolescents from a low-income population do not differ from those studied in the general population, however, the prevalence of drug use in the low-income population is higher.

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