Citation

Idowu A, Aremu AO, Akanbi IM, Eseigbe G, Adewale V, Awubite L, Adebayo O, Arisa D, Adetona B, Olaniyan A, Olafisoye E, Olorunshola O, Eyitayo J, Ogunlana O, Aboloye O, Mayor A, Olatunde E. Afr. Health Sci. 2023; 23(4): 563-574.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University)

DOI

10.4314/ahs.v23i4.59

PMID

38974308

PMCID

PMC11225453

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with substance abuse among youths of Ejigbo community, Osun State, Nigeria.

METHOD: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which employed cluster sampling method to select 420 consenting youths (aged 15-24years). Data were collected using interviewer-administered, semi structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: The mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 19 ± 4.18 years. Majority (89%) of the respondents possessed good knowledge of substance abuse while 4% of them had a positive attitude towards it. Above a quarter (29.8%) of respondents had ever consumed alcoholic beverages while 12.3% of them had engaged in substance abuse. Besides alcohol, Shisha and tramadol were the most commonly abused substances in the study setting. Respondents' age (AOR=3.11;95%CI=1.67-5.24), gender (AOR=1.87;95%CI=1.53-9.25), attitude to substance use (AOR=5.90;95%3.45-10.23) and marital status (AOR=3.27;95%-CI=2.71-7.24) were the main determinants of substance abuse in the study setting.

CONCLUSION: Respondents in the current study had good knowledge, predominantly negative attitude but a relatively high burden of substance abuse. There is urgent need for policy makers to upscale fights against the menace of substance abuse among rural Nigerian youths.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Risk Factors; Adult; Female; Male; Socioeconomic Factors; Adolescent; adolescents; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Young Adult; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; prevalence; Substance abuse; youths; *Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology; *Rural Population/statistics & numerical data; Nigeria/epidemiology; patterns