Loraine Townsend, MA¹, Alan J. Flisher, PhD¹, Perpetual Chikobvu, PhD², Carl Lombard, PhD³, and Gary King, PhD⁴. (1) Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory 7925, RSA, CapeTown, Western Cape Province, South Africa, (021) 404 3359, townsend@curie.uct.ac.za, (2) Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, Cape Town, 7505, South Africa, (3) Biostatic Division/Centre for Epidemilogic Research in South Africa, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa, (4) Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, 315 E. Henderson Bldg, University Park, PA 16802

This paper examines the association between tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use and school dropout by Coloured, Black and White high school students in Cape Town, South Africa. The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SACENDU) School Survey included a multistage sampling design that resulted in a sample of 1457 students in grade 8 at 39 high schools. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of items on demographic, family and school-related variables, and substance use. Four years later, when students would have been in grade 12, 809 (56.26%) had dropped out of school and 19 were lost to follow-up. Among dropouts, Coloured students had the highest proportion of past month cigarette use (37.76%) and White students had the highest proportion of past month alcohol use (29.09%) and lifetime illegal drug use (18.30%) at baseline. Black students had the lowest proportion of recent and lifetime use of any of the substances. Multiple logistic regression analyses, by race, were conducted using nested models, taking into account school clustering, and relative risk ratios (RR) were calculated. Adjusting for age, gender, socio-economic status proxies, and family and school related variables, past month cigarette use among Coloured (RR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.09-3.20) and White (RR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.06 - 3.49) students, and having ever used illegal drugs among White students (RR: 5.77; 95% CI: 2.44 - 13.63) was significantly associated with dropping out of high school. None of the substance use measures predicted high school dropout among Black students.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate the high school dropout rate in Cape Town, South Africa compared to other countries.
• Describe the prevalence of substance use among high school dropouts in Cape Town, South Africa.
• Identify substance use behaviours related to high school dropout in Cape Town, South Africa.

Keywords: Developing Countries, Adolescents, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.