Caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and drug consumption among medical students in Barcelona

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Abstract
Summary A survey of medical students was conducted at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 1974. Out of 1029 students, 808 present at lectures (78.5%) returned properly completed questionnaires. These showed that mean caffeine consumption was 8.3 g per month and increased with the length of stay at the university. Tobacco consumption (general mean, 190 cigarettes per month, 216 for males and 150 for females) and alcohol consumption (8.8 litres/year for males and 4.1 litres/year for females) also increased with time spent at university. Alcohol consumption was not as high as in the general population. Amphetamine consumption was very high (22% of students had taken amphetamines on more than one occasion in the six months prior to the survey). Marihuana and hashish were by far the most commonly used drugs (9.6%), the use of these drugs being much less common than at other European universities. The use of “harder” drugs was very limited. Appraisal of alcohol, tobacco and amphetamine abuse is necessary, since the authorities have not employed adequate measures to stop or limit them.