Rapid analysis of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards substance addiction across different target groups in Abu Dhabi City, United Arab Emirates

Objective s To understand the interaction of socio-demographic factors and knowledge, attitudes and practices of the general public, parents and youth in Abu Dhabi, in order to develop culturally sensitive substance use prevention programmes. Methods The data was gathered via convenience sampling using questionnaires developed for each target group during a road show on addiction prevention. Results Perceived primary cause of substance addiction is weakened/breakdown of religiosity, as rated by 34.2% of the sample, and it is influenced by socio-demographic characteristics such as nationality, gender and education. Independent of socio-demographic characteristics, addicts were perceived by over 50% of the population as ‘victims’ and less than 6% perceived drug addicts as criminals. Majority of the respondents evaluated their parenting skills as ‘good’. International Journal of Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorder Vol.1(1) 2013: 76-88 Fifteen percent of youth and adolescents considered experimenting with alcohol and hashish and perception of harm level is associated with tendency to experiment alcohol or hashish. Conclusion Religiosity seems to be perceived as a protective factor for substance use. Socio-demographic factors have an impact on attitudes and perceptions towards substance use. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/ijptsud.v1i1.4700 International Journal of Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorder Vol.1(1) 2013: 76-88