Prevalence, drug education, and other associated factors of current illicit drug use among a nationally representative sample of school-aged adolescents in the Philippines in 2019

One in seven Filipino adolescents engaged in current illicit drug use in 2019. Protective factors (such as high parental and peer support) and drug education were negatively associated with current illicit drug use. Individual and community level factors (such as psychological distress, exposure to drugs, alcohol use, and interpersonal violence) were positively associated with current illicit drug use. School and community programmes and policies may target to decrease psychosocial stressors, promote protective factors, and enhance curriculum-based drug education among adolescents in the Philippines.