The aim of this study was to identify changes in the hazardous consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, due to the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 in a cohort of schooled adolescents from Central Catalonia. We also analyzed the effect of the individual and social factors on risky consumption during confinement. This longitudinal study involved a subsample of 303 adolescents aged 14–18 years, who were attending 4th year of compulsory secondary education (ESO), 2nd year of college preparation (baccalaureate), or Vocational and Educational Training (VET). We collected data before COVID-19 lockdown (October 2019–February 2020) and 2 months after the lockdown ended. We estimated the prevalence of risky substance use in the sample at baseline for each independent variable. We used Poisson regression models with robust variance to compute the Cumulative Incidence (CI) and Relative Risk (RR), with their respective 95% confidence interval. We found that VET students had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher risk of substance use: binge drinking (RR = 3.21 (95%CI: 1.00–10.34)); hazardous drinking of alcohol (RR = 3.75 (95%CI: 1.12–12.54)), hazardous consumption of cannabis (RR = 3.75 (95%CI: 0.65–21.59)) and daily smoking of tobacco (RR = 4.82 (95%CI: 1.74–13.39)). The results showed a general trend of reduction of consumption during COVID-19 confinement period. This study suggests that VET students were more likely to engage in hazardous drinking of alcohol and daily smoking of tobacco. No statistically significant differences were found for the other age groups and variables.

Background: There is a co-occurrence of adolescents’ substance use and sexual practices, with an important impact on their health and health behaviours; however, limited research is conducted with adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of substance use (alcohol and/or other substances) in sexual contexts and to identify its associated factors among adolescents, comparing boys and girls. Methods: Cross-sectional study with data from 6352 adolescents aged 14­­­–18 years from the DESKcohort project. Prevalence of alcohol and/or other substance use in sexual contexts (OSUSC) stratified by sex were calculated, according to axes of inequality, psychosocial factors, and sexual health and health variables. Poisson regression models with robust variance were calculated to analyse potential associations with independent variables. Results: Girls (51.4% of the sample) reported a higher prevalence of alcohol use in sexual contexts than boys (43.9% vs 33.9%, P < 0.001), whereas OSUSC was reported by 12–14% of adolescents. Alcohol and/or OSUSC were associated to several risk practices, such as having multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use, for both sexes. Also, sexual minority orientation students, natives, and students with disadvantaged socioeconomic positions (SEPs) presented higher prevalences of substance use in sexual contexts. Conclusions: These findings suggest that substance use in sexual contexts reflects a broader pattern of co-occurring risky behaviours rather than intentional sexualised substance use. Some vulnerable groups include girls, adolescents with a minority sexual orientation, and students with disadvantaged SEPs. These findings underscore the need for holistic interventions targeting adolescents’ health, addressing substance use and sexual risk behaviours simultaneously to reduce potential consequences such as unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use among adolescents aged 14–19 in Central Catalonia across three periods. Data were obtained from two waves of the DESKcohort project. The first wave (n = 4641) was pre-COVID-19 and the second wave was divided into two phases: post-COVID-19 with restrictions (n = 3478) and post-COVID-19 without restrictions (n = 2900). The prevalence of monthly binge drinking, cannabis use in the last 30 days, and daily tobacco use was calculated. Poisson regression models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) comparing two post-pandemic phases to the pre-pandemic baseline. Binge drinking increased during the restrictions among girls [aPR = 1.5 (95%CI: 1.1–2.1)] and boys [aPR = 1.7 (95%CI: 1.3–2.3)]. Cannabis use decreased during restrictions and remained low post-pandemic, especially among girls [aPR = 0.6 (95%CI: 0.5–0.8)] and boys in the 4th Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) [aPR = 0.4 (95%CI: 0.3–0.6)], and girls in the 2nd Post-Compulsory Secondary Education/Intermediate-Level Training Cycles (PCSE/ILTC) [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. Daily tobacco use also dropped among boys in the 4th year of CSE [aPR = 0.5 (95%CI: 0.3–0.7)] and girls in the 2nd year of PCSE/ILTC [aPR = 0.7 (95%CI: 0.6–0.9)]. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to reassess patterns of adolescent substance use in a context of sudden social disruption. The findings highlight the need to denormalize alcohol and tobacco use and promote healthier adolescent behavior through education.

Background: There is a growing body of evidence on health inequalities according to gender identity, in which sex assigned at birth is often overlooked. The aim of our study was to assess the relevance of examining both gender identity and sex assigned at birth in health population surveys, by comparing the health outcomes, behaviours, and interpersonal relationships in cisgender boys, cisgender girls, transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth assigned male at birth (AMAB) and TGE youth assigned female at birth (AFAB), in a general population sample of adolescents schooled in Catalonia, Spain. Methods: Cross-sectional study using a questionnaire in students aged 12–19 years from Catalonia ( N = 9177) in 2021–2022. We assessed the differences in health outcomes (self-perceived overall health and mental wellbeing), health-related behaviours (quality of diet, physical activity, consumption of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, and compulsive screen and digital entertainment use), and interpersonal relationships (family relationships, bullying victimization, and sexual violence) in cisgender boys, cisgender girls, TGE AMAB and TGE AFAB, using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square tests. We used Poisson regression models with robust variance to examine the associations between the health outcomes and gender identity and sex assigned at birth. Results: TGE AMAB adolescents had a greater prevalence of worse overall health (PR _adj =2.01, 95% CI: 1.14–3.52) and mental discomfort (PR _adj =1.63, 95% CI: 1.20–2.23) than cisgender boys. TGE AFAB adolescents had an increased prevalence of worse overall health (PR _adj =1.81, 95% CI: 1.42–2.31) than cisgender girls, while the association with mental discomfort was not statistically significant (PR _adj =1.13, 95% CI: 0.97–1.31). TGE AFAB had an increased prevalence of worse overall health (PR _adj =1.95, 95% CI: 1.07–3.53) and mental discomfort (PR _adj =1.47, 95% CI: 1.05–2.05) than TGE AMAB adolescents. Interpersonal relations and health-related behaviours partly explained these associations. Conclusions: TGE adolescents have worse health outcomes than cisgender peers and, simultaneously, adolescents who were AFAB (cisgender girls and TGE AFAB) have worse health outcomes than those AMAB (cisgender boys and TGE AMAB, respectively). In health research, gender identity should complement, not substitute, sex assigned at birth.

Introducción. La salud comunitaria es un eje importante en los planes de salud municipales y nacionales, que requiere una actuación interdisciplinar. La necesidad de una formación compartida por los distintos profesionales implicados y la falta de una oferta oficial específica en salud comunitaria impulsaron la creación del Máster Universitario en Salud y Comunidad (MUSC) en la Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC). Objetivos. Describir el plan docente, el enfoque pedagógico, el perfil del equipo docente y del estudiantado, así como los resultados de satisfacción en las dos primeras ediciones del MUSC. Metodología. La titulación de 60 ECTS fue verificada por la Agencia de Calidad Universitaria de Catalunya (AQU) en mayo de 2021 y ofrece una modalidad semipresencial y online, combinando actividades prácticas, de investigación y de reflexión. Resultados. En las dos primeras ediciones online (2022-2023 y 2023-2024), el MUSC ha contado con un profesorado multidisciplinar. La mayoría de las estudiantes han sido mujeres de diversas disciplinas. Las encuestas de satisfacción reflejan un alto nivel de satisfacción (4,4-4,7 sobre 5). Los trabajos de final de máster (TFM) realizados han abarcado principalmente diagnósticos de salud de la comunidad y evaluaciones de intervenciones comunitarias, con algunos trabajos publicados en revistas científicas. Discusión. El perfil interdisciplinario del profesorado y estudiantado enriquece el enfoque del máster. Las acciones de mejora se dirigen a aumentar la participación en las encuestas de satisfacción, consolidar la oferta de proyectos vinculados al TFM y fomentar la continuidad del estudiantado en programas de doctorado. Conclusiones. Las dos primeras ediciones del MUSC han consolidado una formación de calidad con un marcado enfoque metodológico. Esta propuesta contribuye a capacitar a profesionales de diversas disciplinas para fortalecer el trabajo intersectorial y la participación comunitaria. Palabras clave: salud pública, educación de posgrado, servicios de salud comunitaria, comunicación interdisciplinaria.