Chimezie Orjiude
College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Nigeria
Title: Knowledge, Pattern and Factors Associated with Substance Abuse Among Out of School Youths
Biography
Biography: Chimezie Orjiude
Abstract
Substance abuse is a contemporary global problem that cuts across different ages and populations. Young people constitute a high risk and vulnerable group. This study focused on determining the level of knowledge, prevalence, pattern and factors associated with substance abuse among out of school youths in motor parks in Lagos State. The substances considered in the study were alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. The study employed a multistage, descriptive cross-sectional method to select 350 out-of-school youths age 10-25 years from seven (7) randomly selected motor parks in Lagos State (Ojota, Yaba, Ikeja, Mushin, Ojuelegba, Obalende and Oshodi). A pretested questionnaire which was intervieweradministered was used to collect data. SPSS version 23 was used in data analysis. Out of the total sample population, males were 90% and females 10%. The mean age of the respondents was 20.76 ± 3.4years. Majority of the respondents had attended a formal school. Meanwhile, the mean age of drop out was 14.89 years. About one-third of the respondents (33.4%) had poor knowledge regarding substance-related health risks. A total of 216 (61.7%) respondents were ever substance users while 53.1% are current users. Age of initiation into substance use was as early as 3years. Peer pressure, stress relieve and fun were the major instigators of substance abuse. Factors associated with substance abuse were: age, gender, religion, ever attended school and knowledge of substance-related health risks. In conclusion, this study revealed that quite a number of the respondents had poor knowledge regarding substance-related health risks. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis in that order were the most abused substances. Furthermore, age, gender, religion, ever attended school and knowledge of health related effects of substance abuse were significantly associated with substance abuse among out of school youths. It is recommended that policies to curb the high prevalence substance abuse need to be initiated and implemented. Additionally, preventive educational campaigns are necessary to stem substance abuse among out of school youths in motor parks.