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Cited by 19Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesTraffic and Road SafetyForensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

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Psychoactive substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria: an uncontrolled “epidemic” with attendant road traffic crashes

Open access
Akande, Roseline Oluyemisi, Akande, Joel Olufunminiyi, Babatunde, Olaniyan Akintunde, Ajayi, Adeola Olajumoke, Ajayi, Akindele Amos, Ige, Roseline Olabisi, Saliu, Ajedotun Shittu, Akande, Abayomi, Olatunji, Muideen Babatunde·2023·BMC Public Health
DOI 10.1186/s12889-023-15039-6PMC PMC9901138

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Abstract

Background information: The unprecedented depletion of the productive workforce has been majorly attributed to road traffic crashes (RTCs). The attendant consequences of this depletion have been found to constitute a serious global public health challenge, with the use of psychoactive substances among drivers implicated in every three of five motor vehicle accidents. Hence, this study assessed the pattern and explored the determinants of substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for the study. Four hundred commercial bus drivers were recruited from selected motor parks in Abia-state, using a multistage sampling technique from October to December 2020. A pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered to obtain socio-demographics and information on substance abuse. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25; bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square. The level of significance was at 5%. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 40.03 ± 10.50 years. The proportion of respondents who had ever abused a psychoactive substance was 74.6%. The most commonly abused substances among drivers include alcohol (51%), cigarettes (27%), and alcoholic herbal mixtures (16%). The study participants had poor knowledge (54.5%) and poor perception (63.2%) about psychoactive substance abuse. Among the factors found to be significantly associated with substance abuse among respondents were ethnicity ( p = 0.002), religion ( p = 0.009) and monthly income ( p = 0.013) of the respondents, poor knowledge ( p < 0.001) and poor perception ( p < 0.001). However, this study found religion ( p = 0.031; OR = 5.469; CI = 1.170 to 25.555), knowledge ( p < 0.001; OR = 4.21; CI = 2.201 to 8.287) and perception ( p < 0.001; OR = 9.828; CI = 15.572 to 65.052) as factors that were associated with the higher likelihood of psychoactive substance abuse. Conclusion: Religion, poor knowledge and perception were associated with the higher likelihood of psychoactive substance abuse among commercial bus drivers. Targeting commercial bus drivers for educational interventions and using religious leaders as conveyor belts may reduce the use of psychoactive substances among them.

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Fig. 1 Overall knowledge about psychoactive substance of the commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State
Fig. 1 Overall knowledge about psychoactive substance of the commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia StateCC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 27

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Metadata

Authors
Akande, R. O., Akande, J. O., Babatunde, O. A., Ajayi, A. O., Ajayi, A. A., Ige, R. O., Saliu, A. S., Akande, A., & Olatunji, M. B.
Affiliations
  • Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (NG)
  • Osun State University (NG)
  • Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (NG)
  • University of Ibadan (NG)
Corresponding author
Babatunde, Olaniyan Akintunde
ORCID
Venue
BMC Public Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2023-02-06
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pages
250-250
ISSN
1471-2458 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12889-023-15039-6
PMC
PMC9901138
OpenAlex
W4319298429
Cited by
19
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2
FWCI
3.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Traffic and Road Safety
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
Keywords
psychoactive substance abuse, road traffic crashes, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, occupational health
MeSH terms
Accidents, Traffic, Adult, Automobile Driving, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Nigeria, Psychotropic Drugs, Substance-Related Disorders

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Psychoactive substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria: an uncontrolled “epidemic” with attendant road traffic crashes. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1186/s12889-023-15039-6
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Akande, R. O., Akande, J. O., Babatunde, O. A., Ajayi, A. O., Ajayi, A. A., Ige, R. O., Saliu, A. S., Akande, A., & Olatunji, M. B. (2023). Psychoactive substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Umuahia, Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria: an uncontrolled “epidemic” with attendant road traffic crashes. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15039-6

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