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Abstract
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The use of licit and illicit substances is a global phenomenon with a lot of adverse effects on physical and mental health. It also has a severe impact on the fabric of the society. [1] Commercial motorcyclists are vulnerable to psychoactive substance use often to their detriment in terms of health hazards and the safety of the commuters. [2] The study aims to describe the prevalence, sociodemographic characteristics, social consequences of alcohol and substance use behaviors, and associated health and psychological sequelae.
A total of 325 commercial motorcyclists' selected through a 2-stage cluster sampling technique from 12 motorcycle parks in Abeokuta were interviewed using the Alcohol and Drug section of Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 1.1.
The mean age was 29.3 years compared well with a similar study by Lasebikan; [3] Owoaje [4] , and Alti- Muazu. [5] Majority, (68.3%) were married, (9.8%) had no formal education, most (84.6%) had at most secondary education, and 5.5% had tertiary education. Prevalence of lifetime (41.9%) and current use rates of drugs (27.1%) were lower than the Lasebikan [3] reported rates. This might be due to penalty for drunk riding and the fact that they earn less than drivers. The most commonly used substance were alcohol (33.2%), which is similar to Owoaje, [4] sedative (7.4%), and cannabis (4.9%).The use of other drugs was relatively uncommon. Christians 72.5% were more likely to take psychoactive substances than their Muslims 25.5% counterparts (P=0.036) probably due to stringent Islamic law concerning alcohol. Problematic use of alcohol (P=0.000) and cannabis (P=0.011) was significantly associated with drug use in first degree relatives. Health and psychological problems were reported by 25.2% of current users of drugs; alcohol-related disorder and cannabis/alcohol- related disorder were frequently associated with these problems. There was a significant association between problematic current drug users and the occurrence of road traffic accident (P=0.000) as previously reported by Lasebikan; [3] Owoaje [4] , and Alti-Muazu. [5]
Psychoactive substance use was relatively common among commercial motorcyclists with social and physical health consequences. Government should randomly screen commercial motorcyclists for drug use and increase the frequency of educational programs to improve their knowledge about its harmful effects to ensure commuter safety.
Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving
Language: en |