Factors Associated with Alcohol and Substance Abuse Among Youths in Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t3027Abstract
The use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other psychoactive substances among the youth is a major public health concern worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of alcohol and substance abuse among the youth. A cross sectional descriptive design was adopted. Youth aged between 18 and 35 years undergoing rehabilitation were enrolled. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 25 software. Chi-square and Fishers exact were used to compare variables between groups. A value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 259 youth participated in this study where majority, 66.8% were male. The mean age of participants was 29 years. The proportion of female drug users decreased with increase in age while that of male increased with increase in age. All participants abused heroin in addition to cigarettes (64.2%), marijuana/bang (60.8%), alcohol (58.1%), cocaine (57.3%), khat (51.2%), and traditional brew (33.1%). Abuse of cigarettes (P=0.009) and cocaine (p=0.005) was associated with the male gender. There was no statistical significant association between family functioning and drug and alcohol abuse (p>0.05). History of having a guardian and siblings indulging in alcohol and substance abuse, receiving comfort, advice, and having an open communication with the parents were found to influence the level youth get indulge into drug and substance abuse. Family function is an important factor to consider in the development of prevention strategies.
Keywords: Alcohol, Substance Abuse, Youths, Kenya
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