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INTRODUCTION: The drug phenomenon has become one of the issues of greatest concern in Mexico for its sustained growth and reported in the last three national household surveys (2002, 2008 and 2011) in individuals of all ages, especially teenagers . The health consequences of drug abuse are increasingly complex and severe. The inability to withstand adolescent drug use when faced with social pressures that facilitate consumption is called behavioral control, a concept that has proven to be a predictor of the behavior. A theory that helps in the understanding of health promoting behaviors and / or protective avoidance and risk limitation is the theory of Nola J. Pender.
OBJECTIVES: To verify the relationship of behavioral control over drug use among adolescents in school, under the hypothesis: Teenagers who have consumed any drugs show significantly higher scores on behavioral control than those who have not consumed.
METHODOLOGY: descriptive correlational study in 443 adolescents in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, NL The Adolescent Survey instrument for Drug Control and Behavioral applied.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that 7.2% (IC95%; 4.8-9.6) of adolescents reported having used drugs at least once in life, emphasizing like most consumed drug marijuana (6.1% [IC95%:3.8-8.3]). The situations perceived as facilitators of consumption were believe to know the effects of drugs, drug very easily, having money and attend events where drugs are consumed. Test Mann-Whitney (U=1482.0, p<.001) showed that adolescents who have used drugs have significantly higher scores (Mean = 22.96, Mdn = 15.54), low behavioral control that adolescents who have not been used drugs (Mean = 2.47, Mdn = 1.00). Behavioral control was intended effect on drug use (R2= 34%) and explains their effect on drug use once in life (R2=27%).