INTRODUCTION: The use of illicit drug/s among university students is a public health concern. Nevertheless, many UK studies investigated a narrow spectrum of variables to explore their association/s with illicit drug/s use. METHODS: We assessed the associations between a wide range of socio-demographic, health and wellbeing variables (independent variables) and having used illicit drug/s regularly, occasionally or never in life (dependent variables). Data (3706 students) were collected from seven universities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: About 5% of the sample had regularly used illicit drug/s, 25% occasionally, and 70% never. Regular drug use (RDU) was significantly more likely among males aged 21-29 years, daily smokers, those with heavy episodic drinking or possible alcohol dependency (CAGE test), and those who perceived their academic performance better than their peers. RDU was less likely among students with high health awareness and those living with parents. The predictors of occasional drug use (ODU) were similar to those of RDU. However, in addition, students with higher perceived stress were less likely, and students who felt financial burden/s were more likely to report ODU, while no association with academic performance was found. Never use of illicit drug/s was inversely associated with most of the variables listed above, and was positively associated with religiosity. Illicit drug/s use goes along with other substance use (alcohol and smoking). The finding that illicit drug/s use was higher among students reporting good academic performance was surprising and raises the question of whether illicit drug/s may be used as performance enhancing drugs. CONCLUSION: The factors identified with illicit drug/s use in this study could be utilized to develop appropriate public health policies and preventive measures for the health of students. Multilevel, value based, comprehensive, and strategic long-term intervention plans are required. This could include social interventions aimed at generating recreations alternatives and opportunities for youth, and a critical review for current authorities’ interventions and services. Suggestions for coping with problems of campus illicit drug use/abuse also need to be offered.

The study aimed to investigate if the school-based social norms intervention The GOOD Life was effective in reducing misperceptions, heavy alcohol use and alcohol-related harms among Danish pupils aged 13-17 years. In total 38 schools were included in a cluster-randomised controlled trial and allocated to either intervention (n = 641) or control group (n = 714) during 2015/2016. Both groups completed an online survey before the intervention and 3 months after baseline. The GOOD Life intervention provided normative feedback tailored for each school-grade using three communication channels: classroom sessions, posters and web application. Outcome measures were overestimation of peers' lifetime binge drinking, binge drinking (5 or more drinks on one occasion) and alcohol-related harms. Intervention effects at follow-up were examined using multilevel logistic regression models. Pupils in the intervention group were less likely to overestimate peers' lifetime binge drinking compared to those in the control group (OR: 0.52, 95%CI: 0.33-0.83) and were less likely to report two or more alcohol-related harms (OR: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.37-0.93). Overall, no significant effect of the intervention was found on binge drinking. However, among pupils stating it would be ok, if they drank more (n = 296), a preventive effect was found on binge drinking four or more times during the last 30 days (OR: 0.37, 95%CI: 0.15-0.95). Additionally, the intervention effect on overestimation was higher among pupils who reported binge drinking at baseline. Receiving the intervention had a positive effect on norm perceptions and alcohol-related harms. We also found that the intervention effect differed by baseline status of alcohol use.

Collaborative knowledge generation and involvement of users is known to improve health promotion intervention development, but research about the roles and perspectives of users in the co-creation process is sparse. This research aimed to study how young people perceived their involvement in a co-creation process focussed on the development of a gamified virtual reality (VR) simulation—VR FestLab. The Living Lab methodology was applied to structure and guide the co-creation process. Living Lab participants were comprised of students, health promotion practitioners, researchers, and film and gaming experts who collaboratively designed and created the content and structure of the VR FestLab. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students who participated in the Living Lab and represented young end users. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Students described that they had influence on their tasks. They felt included and expressed that the collaboration with and feedback from peers and other stakeholders increased their self-efficacy and empowered them to take ownership and generate new ideas. Participants voiced that they lacked information about the final production of VR FestLab. Co-creation guided by the Living Lab methodology produced added value in terms of empowerment and increased self-efficacy for the students involved. Future Living Labs should plan for communication with participants about further development and implementation processes following ideation and prototyping phase.

It is currently unknown if school-based social norms interventions are effective in preventing harmful alcohol consumption and other drug use among adolescents in Denmark. This paper describes the social norms-based programme The GOOD life and the design of a cluster-randomized controlled trial to test its effectiveness. The intervention The GOOD life is composed of three social norms components representing three different communication channels, namely face-to-face communication (normative feedback session), print communication (posters) and interactive media (web application). The intervention period of 8 weeks is preceded and followed by data collection, with the follow-up taking place 3 months after baseline. Public schools in the Region of Southern Denmark with grades 8 and 9 are invited to participate in the study and participating schools are randomly allocated to either intervention or control schools. The aim is to recruit a total of 39 schools and a sample of 1.400 pupils for the trial. An online questionnaire is conducted to examine the use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana as well as the perceived frequency of use among peers of their own grade, which is measured before and after the intervention. Baseline data is used to develop social norms messages which are included in the three intervention components. Primary outcomes are binge drinking (more than 5 units at one occasion) and perceived frequency of binge drinking among peers, while smoking, marijuana use and alcohol-related harm will be assessed as secondary outcomes. The GOOD life study will provide necessary insights on descriptive and injunctive norms regarding alcohol and other drug use among Danish adolescents. In addition, it will provide new knowledge and insight on the feasibility, implementation context and effectiveness of a newly developed social norms intervention in the Danish school context. Date of registration: 17 February 2016 (retrospectively registered) at Current Controlled Trials with study ID ISRCTN27491960

Aims: This study aims to describe norm perceptions among Danish pupils aged 13–17 years related to the prevalence of personal lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs (AODs). Further we examined if norm perceptions were associated with personal lifetime AOD use. Method: The data were collected as baseline data in the trial The GOOD Life. A total of 2601 pupils from 42 public schools in the Region of Southern Denmark completed an online questionnaire measuring personal lifetime AOD use and personal approval of use. Additionally the perceived frequency of AOD use and approval of use among peers of their own grade were measured. Lifetime AOD outcome variables were alcohol consumption (at least one drink, being drunk and had five or more drinks on one occasion), smoking, and cannabis use. Results: Pupils’ perceptions of peer approval were significantly higher than pupils’ personal approval of AOD use among adolescents for all outcomes. With the exception of cannabis use the estimated AOD prevalence among peers (median) were higher than the actual prevalence of personal lifetime use. Multilevel logistic regression models showed a significantly increased risk of personal AOD use for pupils that overestimated their peers’ AOD use and also for pupils that perceived peers to approve of AOD use. Conclusions: The findings highlight that pupils’ exaggerated perceptions regarding their peers’ use and approval of AOD use are related to personal experience with AODs.

Background: Adolescent drinking has historically been closely linked to social events, and across many countries, students typically increase drinking rates when they transition to upper secondary school. COVID-19-related restrictions offered a unique possibility to examine how changes in social life impact adolescent drinking in the transition to upper secondary school. Aim: The current study investigated changes in hazardous alcohol use, social life and well-being among Danish first-year students (mean age = 16.8 years) during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions gradually became more intensified. Methods: Data were collected at two time points among 352 Danish students in the first months of upper secondary school (August and November 2020). Multilevel regression models tested changes across time on past 30 days hazardous alcohol use (dependent variables). Separate models tested whether changes in alcohol use were related to gender, social interaction, loneliness and mental health. Results: During increased COVID-19-related restrictions in the second wave, students decreased the frequency and quantity of drinking (number of drinking days and binge drinking), which was associated with attending fewer parties. Students also reported less high-intensity drinking and fewer alcohol-related consequences. Students reported better mental health, but more students were affected by loneliness. Changes in mental health or loneliness were not related to reduced hazardous alcohol use. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that alcohol use decreased among Danish students transitioning to upper secondary school during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions increased, thereby providing support for a close link between adolescent alcohol use and social life; this is an important frame that is relevant when designing interventions to promote healthier and less risky choices throughout the next phase(s) of the pandemic and in general.