Factors Associated with Higher or Lower Odds of Alcohol, Drug, and Tobacco Consumption Among Final-Year High School Students in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia

Background: Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use are common among adolescents. The aim of this study was to detect factors associated with the use of these substances among high school students in Split-Dalmatia County (SDC), Croatia. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1030 final-year high school students in SDC, Croatia, from June to July and from October to December 2020. Results: Factors associated with higher odds of alcohol use among our respondents were having ever earned money independently (OR 3.175), conviviality (OR 1.818), self-reported depressive feelings (OR 1.488), a higher amount of pocket money (OR 1.452), and socializing with friends more frequently (OR 1.390), while practicing religion more frequently was associated with a lower risk of drinking (OR 0.870). Having ever earned money independently was also associated with a higher risk of drug use among final-year high school students in SDC (OR 2.369), as were self-reported depressive feelings (OR 1.643), male gender (OR 1.559), parents’ divorce status (OR 1.377 per category), going out with friends more frequently (OR 1.351), and mothers with a higher level of education (OR 1.249). Religiosity (OR 0.388) and practicing religion more frequently (OR 0.817) were associated with lower odds of drug use. Factors associated with higher odds of tobacco use among our respondents were going out with friends more frequently (OR 1.949), self-reported depressive feelings (OR 1.767), and parents’ divorce status (OR 1.341 per category), while religiosity (OR 0.425), greater success in school (OR 0.536), and higher frequency of playing sports (OR 0.816) were associated with a lower risk of smoking. Conclusions: We detected some factors associated with higher or lower odds of substance use among adolescents in SDC. These results could help inform the creation of better and targeted preventive measures to decrease substance use among children and adolescents.