Psychoactive substance use in three sites in China: gender differences and related factors

One year prevalence rates for psychoactive substance use are reported based on community surveys performed in three sites in China: Hunan, Heilongjiang and Jiangsu. The data were gathered on more than 14,000 respondents (15-65 years old). The drinking rates were from 58.3 to 82.6% for men and from 16.3 to 31.4% for women. Smoking rates range from 64.9 to 68.1% for men and from 0.1 to 20.5% for women. Most drinkers were light users and most smokers were heavy users. Illicit drug use was observed at Hunan. Regarding frequency and quantity of psychoactive substance use, women are lighter consumers than their male counterparts except for use of minor tranquilizers and analgesics. The psychosocial factors related to drinking and smoking were also investigated in this study.