Prevalência e padrões de consumo problemático de drogas em cinco cidades portuguesas

Abstract

Describes a number of studies focused on prevalence estimation of problematic drug use in five Portuguese cities using the capture-recapture method. A list of agencies that deal with drug addicted populations was drawn up, which included specialized treatment agencies for drug addicts (CATs), hospital agencies, the courts and the police. The studies were conducted in the Portuguese cities of Matosinhos, Aveiro, Viseu, Oeiras and Beja and led to estimations of the size of addict populations in those cities. We further discuss some dimensions of the nature of problem drug use, describing profiles of drug users as well as patterns of drug use in relation to the specific geographic areas investigated. The results are discussed taking into consideration the general principles and limitations of the capture-recapture method.