Diagnosis of the consumption of psychoactive substances in the eighth to eleventh grade students of the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes Educational Institution (Potosi - Nariño)

Abstract

The present research focuses on describing the use of psychoactive substances in eighth and eleven graders of School Nuestra Señora de Lourdes in Potosi Nariño, bearing in mind that the target population is between 13 and 17 years old, is considered especially a risk, because the drug is prohibited for minors, by their risks and adverse impacts on their development; it is also one of the aspects which have to face the teenager and he have to decide according to his family, school and social environment.To conduct this research, we take a sample 260 students, to whom the survey was applied of prevalence, of Epidemiological Surveillance System, of consumption of psychoactive substances VESPA, which identifies the most widely consumed psychoactive substances in the past year, determines the frequency of use and the route of administration that they use to drug use, and identify the degree that presents greater risk from consumption of spaand finally raise an intervention program aimed at the educational community, involving students, parents, principals, administrators and teachers.In terms of methodology, the research is developed through the quantitative paradigm, because allowing test hypotheses based on the numerical measurement and statistical analysis therefore uses the Analytic Empirical approach, designed to determine the subject matter of the investigation. Finally, the type of research is descriptive transversal because it seeks to specify characteristics, properties and important features of any phenomenon, at a specific point in time.(Hernández, Fernandez y Baptista, 2003).The research allows us to know that at the INEL in the last year, consumption focuses on two illegal substances: basuco 36.9% of the populations, followed by marijuana in a 10% of the population, other substances with lower percentage of consumption were: cocaine, inhalants, heroin and ecstasy, also other psychoactive substances unknown. As for consumption of legal spa, there is the cigarette at 5.9% of the population, followed by alcohol at 2.7% of the population. Often the most widely consumed psychoactive substances identified are used by students monthly and 1 to 3 times weekly.

The route of administration for basuco, increases the use of marijuana in students, because the most common form of supply it is in the form of cigarette, they point also use the inhaled route for marijuana, breathing for smoking, nasal for cocaine, oral for alcohol, inhaling vapors inhaled through the nose, the oral route for ecstasy, the injected route for heroin. The study allows identify the eighth grades, as the most vulnerable population, about who should lead principally the actions of prevention. Finally, in response to the ultimate objective, the consumption of substances in the Institution “Nuestra Señora de Lourdes”, should allow, train the educational community about this problem from a different perspective, is mean, of the new look that not stigmatizes, not excludes or mark, but provides other alternatives, of attention where is promoted the active participation of stakeholders, supported educational materials, which is recommended as a tool to reinforce verbal guidance. Finally, in response to the ultimate objective, the substance in the Institution Our Lady of Lourdes, pushed to raise the Orientation School Zones (ZOE) program, as a strategy that offers tools to the population of managers, administrators, teachers, students, parents family and community leaders to encourage motivation and active participation in the processes of prevention and mitigation. This investigation concluded that the use of psychoactive substances is not only a problem of which we should be concerned, but rather deal, generating change in perceptions, attitudes and behavior with regard to consumption and users of psychoactive substances, to strengthen processes inclusion and decrease social stigma that enable a comprehensive approach to this problem.