Abstract:
A culturally diverse social environment creates a heightened risk situation for substance use among adolescents. This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to investigate the prevalence of substance use and identify associated factors among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. A total of 238 participants were surveyed using structured questionnaires between December 2024 and February 2025. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. The findings revealed that alcohol consumption was the most prevalent form of substance use among adolescents (56.3%), followed by kratom use (18.5%), tobacco product use (13.9%), and cannabis use (7.1%). Tobacco use was significantly associated with being male (AOR = 5.8; 95% CI 2.39 14.39), alcohol consumption (AOR = 33.1; 95% CI 3.06 192.84), and kratom use (AOR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.40 8.58). Alcohol consumption was associated with depression (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.25 4.34) family and peer factors (AOR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.23 0.89) tobacco use (AOR = 22.2; 95% CI 2.80 176.16) and kratom use (AOR = 17.2; 95% CI 3.83 77.31). Cannabis use was associated with being male (AOR = 46.6; 95% CI 6.14 403.02) and kratom use (AOR = 65.6; 95% CI 9.54 452.43). Kratom use was associated with tobacco use (AOR=2.8; 95% CI 1.097.50), alcohol consumption (AOR=14.4; 95% CI 3.1965.80), and cannabis use (AOR=25.5; 95% CI 4.49145.01). The increasing prevalence of substance use and polysubstance use observed in recent surveys underscores the critical importance of developing appropriate and effective methodologies for identifying risk factors and reducing substance use among adolescents, while maintaining sensitivity to the specific social and cultural context.