medigraphic.com
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

2026, Number 4

<< Back Next >>

salud publica mex 2026; 68 (4)

Lifetime and current substance use patterns in adolescent and adult Mexican population

Barrera-Núñez DA, Carnalla M, Reynales-Shigematsu LM, Ramírez-Toscano Y, Medina-Mora Icaza ME, Pech-Puebla D, López-Olmedo N

Language: English
References: 28
Page: 314-322
PDF size: 269.42 Kb.


ABSTRACT

Objective. To identify substance experimentation and current use profiles among the Mexican adolescent and adult population, overall and by sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and methods. We analyzed data from the 2025 National Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Consumption Survey. We considered lifetime use for adolescents and current use for adults. To identify classes of substance use, including legal, illegal, and non-prescribed medical substances, we performed latent class analysis. Results. A three-class model provided the best fit for both groups: non-users, legal substance users, and polysubstance users. Among adolescents, user classes were characterized by a higher male proportion and a greater medium socioeconomic level distribution (67.3%) in polysubstance experimenters. In adults, polysubstance use remained mainly in male and metropolitan groups, while the “legal substance” class showed a significant female majority (63.4%). Conclusions. Substance use patterns in Mexico are heterogeneous across the life course. Strengthening MPOWER, SAFER, and illegal drug control measures are essential to address these epidemiological profiles.


REFERENCES

  1. Pan American Health Organization. NCDs at a Glance 2025. NCDssurveillance and monitoring: Noncommunicable disease mortality and riskfactor prevalence in the Americas. PAHO, 2025 [cited February 2026].Available from: https://www.paho.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/ncdsglance-2025-21-mar.pdf

  2. World Health Organization. Global status report on alcohol andhealth and treatment of substance use disorders. Ginebra: WHO, 2024[cited February 2026]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/32b161e9-5683-40f5-a1c3-1c92a76d5cda/content

  3. Drope J, Hamill S, Chaloupka F, Guerrero C, Lee H, Mirza M, et al. TheTobacco Atlas. Vital Strategies, Economics for Health, 2022 [cited February2026]. Available from: https://tobaccoatlas.org

  4. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World Drug Report 2025.Vienna: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, 2025[cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR_2025/WDR25_B1_Key_findings.pdf

  5. World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobaccoepidemic, 2025: warning about the dangers of tobacco. Ginebra: WHO,2025 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240112063

  6. World Health Organization. Opioid overdose. WHO, 2024 [citedFebruary 2026]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/opioid-overdose

  7. Sweeney J, Veld M. Non-medical use of pharmaceuticals: trends, harmsand treatment 2006-07 to 2015-16. Canberra: Australian Institute ofHealth and Welfare, 2017 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/d35a8ea3-e504-4cf2-8e72-d8e12f22d7ac/aihwhse-195.pdf?v=20230605174908&inline=true

  8. Lee H, Yang K, Palmer J, Kameg B, Clark L, Greene B. Substanceuse patterns among adolescents: a latent class analysis. JAm Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2020;26(6):586-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390319858658

  9. LeComte R, Skandan N, Hochheimer M, Pattillo E, White J, Huhn A,Ellis J. A systematic review of latent class analyses of adult polysubstanceuse patterns. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025;33(6):531-75. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000791

  10. Comisión Nacional de Salud Mental y Adicciones, Instituto Nacionalde Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Instituto Nacional de SaludPública. Encuesta Nacional de Consumo de Drogas, Alcohol y TabacoEncodat 2025. Mexico: Secretaría de Salud, Instituto Nacional de SaludPública, 2025 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/1044513/Encodat_-_COMPLETO.pdf

  11. Sánchez-Pájaro A, Barrera-Núñez DA, Carnalla M, Mendoza-AlvaradoLR, Robles-Soto N, Ledesma-Torres L, et al. Prevalencia de uso dedrogas ilícitas y medicamentos psicotrópicos en México, EnsanutContinua 2023. Salud Publica Mex. 2025;67(6):777-84. https://doi.org/10.21149/16856

  12. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The non-medical useof prescription drugs. Policy direction issues. Vienna: United Nations,2011 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.unodc.org/documents/drug-prevention-and-treatment/nonmedical-useprescription-drugs.pdf

  13. McCabe SE, Schulenberg JE, Schepis TS, Evans-Polce RJ, Wilens TE,McCabe VV, Veliz PT. Trajectories of prescription drug misuse among usadults from ages 18 to 50 years. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(1):e2141995.https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.41995

  14. Bailey AJ, McHugh RK. Why do we focus on the exception and notthe rule? Examining the prevalence of mono-versus polysubstance usein the general population. Addiction. 2023;118(10):2026-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16290

  15. Lanza ST, Rhoades BL. Latent class analysis: an alternative perspectiveon subgroup analysis in prevention and treatment. Prev Sci.2013;14(2):157-68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-011-0201-1

  16. Comisión Nacional de Salud Mental y Adicciones, Instituto Nacionalde Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Instituto Nacional de SaludPública. Metodología de la Encuesta Nacional de Consumo de Drogas,Alcohol y Tabaco 2025. Salud Publica Mex. 2025;67:515-22. https://doi.org/10.21149/17295

  17. Collins LM, Lanza ST. Latent class and latent transition analysis: withapplications in the social behavioral, and health sciences. Wiley, 2012.

  18. Pérez-Ferrer C, Sánchez-Pájaro A, Cobo-Armijo F, Pech-Puebla D,López-Olmedo N, Barrientos-Gutiérrez T. Legalización de cannabisrecreativa: lecciones de salud pública para México. Salud Publica Mex.2025;67:180-9. https://doi.org/10.21149/16292

  19. World Health Organization. The technical package SAFER: five areasof intervention at national and subnational levels. Ginebra: WHO, 2019[cited February 2026]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/330053/9789241516419-eng.pdf?sequence=1

  20. Organización Mundial de la Salud. MPOWER: un plan de medidaspara hacer retroceder la epidemia de tabaquismo. Switzerland: OMS,2008 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43891

  21. World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobaccoepidemic, 2025: warning about the dangers of tobacco. Ginebra: WHO,2025 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/b/79987

  22. Organización Mundial de la Salud. Convenio Marco de laOMS para el control del tabaco. Ginebra: OMS, 2005 [citedFebruary 2026]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42813/9243591010.pdf;jsessionid=6EC2D36C6B19E898179FB69A482745E3?sequence=1

  23. Garwood P. WHO launches SAFER alcohol control initiative toprevent and reduce alcohol-related death and disability. New York: WHO,2018 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-09-2018-who-launches-safer-alcohol-control-initiative-to-preventand-reduce-alcohol-related-death-and-disability

  24. Tomczyk S, Isensee B, Hanewinkel R. Latent classes of polysubstanceuse among adolescents. A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Depend.2016;160: 12-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.035

  25. de Jonge MC, Bukman AJ, van Leeuwen L, Onrust SA, Kleinjan M.Latent classes of substance use in young adults. A systematic review. SubstUse Misuse. 2022:57(5):769-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2040029

  26. Samet JM, Yoon SY, eds. Gender, women, and the tobacco epidemic.Manila: WHO, 2010 [cited February 2026]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/44342?search-result=true&query=tobacco+and+gender&scope=&rpp=10&sort_by=score&order=desc&page=4

  27. White A. Gender differences in the epidemiology of alcohol use andrelated harms in the United States. Alcohol Res. 2020;40(2). https://doi.org/10.35946/arcr.v40.2.01

  28. Smit F, Zwart W, de Spruit I, Monshouwer K, Ameijden E van.Monitoring substance use in adolescents: school survey or householdsurvey? Drugs (Abingdon Engl). 2002;9(3):267-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687630210129529




2020     |     www.medigraphic.com