Drug use and health consequences on the dance scene

The goal: The survey mapped drug use in the dance setting and health consequences of the dancers. Method: Participants of the dance parties who utilised preventive and harm reduction services in the dance parties provided by NGOs filled-in one page questionnaire in 2003. The questionnaire aimed on life-time prevalence and intensive (3 times and more) use in the last 30 days as well as life-time prevalence of selected health consequences ant their reasons stipulated. Frequency analysis and analysis of possible relations between health consequences and recent intensive drug use (expressed as ODDS ratio) have been carried out. Findings: The sample consists of 468 dancers in 25 dance parties, from them 330 (70.5%) men, 138 (29.5 %) women. By age is maximum of respondents in the age group 15 – 19 years (46,6%), the main age was 21 and 19 years for men and women respectively. Pupils, secondary school and university students consist 49.1% of the sample; 6.8% of the sample are unemployed. Lifetime prevalence of ecstasy 90.4%, of cannabis 91.2%, of pervitin (methamphetamine) and other amphetamines 53.0%, of heroin 7.7%, cocaine 17.5%, hallucinogens 51.7% have been found. Ecstasy used 26.7%, cannabis 55.1%, pervitin (methamphetamine) and other amphetamines 15.6%, heroin 1.5%, cocaine 2.1% and hallucinogens 8.8% of the sample three times and more in the last 30 days. One third of the sample used more then one of the selected substances three times and more in the last 30 days. Without any experience with ecstasy use was 9.6% of the sample; it means that this clients contacted preventive and harm-reduction services even before their first ecstasy use. Health consequences related to the dance party reported app. 30% of respondents, app. 4% of respondents then contacted the medical service. The most frequently reported health consequences were ill-being, headache, nausea, emesis, heart palpitation and anxiety. Heat, exhaustion, excessive drug use and poly-drug use were mostly reported as reasons of the health consequences. Intensive use of ecstasy, cannabis, pervitin (methamphetamine) and other amphetamines, hallucinogens and poly-drug use have been identified as statistically significant predictive factors of party–related health consequences in the life. Conclusion: The survey approved high prevalence of drug use among party dancers. Preventive and harm-reduction services on the dance setting are appropriate tool for monitoring of drug use and its risks at the dance setting. The survey has showed up that these services target also the users before their first ecstasy use, who are the most vulnerable group from the drug-related health risks point of view.

Authors:
Mravčík Viktor
Valnoha Jiří
Kateřina Škařupová