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Cited by 85Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesYouth, Drugs, and ViolenceForensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

Substance abuse among students in selected secondary schools of an urban community of Oyo-state, South West Nigeria: implication for policy action

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Idowu, Ajibola, Aremu, Ayodele Olatayo, Olumide, Aderonke, Ogunlaja, Ayotunde Olumuyiwa·2018·African Health Sciences
DOI 10.4314/ahs.v18i3.36PMC PMC6307013
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Substance abuse among youths is fast becoming a global Public Health concern. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with substance abuse in selected public schools in Ogbomoso, South-West Nigeria. METHODS: Cross-sectional study design and multi-stage sampling method were utilized among 249 study participants who gave informed consent/assent. Data were collected using facilitated, self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics using the Chi-Square test were carried out at p<0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of our respondents was 16.3±2SD; 40.0% of them had positive attitude to substance abuse while 21.7% had ever consumed alcoholic drinks. In all, 31(26.3%) of the respondents satisfied the criteria used in defining substance abuse. Tramadol was the most commonly abused substance apart from alcohol; reported by 39.0% of the substance abusers. Most (35.5%) of the substance abusers did so believing it could enhance their academic performance. The proportion of respondents who were substance abusers was significantly higher among students who had not received any formal lectures on the subject at school compared to those who had. (47.5% vs 29.7% ;p=0.023). CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore an urgent need to intensify awareness against substance abuse among secondary school students in Nigeria.

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  • The high prevalence of substance use, particularly alcohol and tramadol, underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions in West Africa.

    “The high prevalence of substance use, particularly alcohol and tramadol, underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions in West Africa [38, 56, 70].”

    From Prevalence and patterns of substance use in West Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [38]

    The Results report substance abuse among 26.3% of surveyed students, alcohol consumption among 21.7%, and tramadol use among 39.0% of substance abusers. The Conclusion calls for stronger awareness and policy measures for secondary school students in Nigeria. The claim extends those findings and recommendations to West Africa, which this study did not assess. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Peer influence is a significant factor influencing substance use in West Africa.

    “Peer influence emerged as a significant factor across multiple studies [22, 31, 35, 38, 41].”

    From Prevalence and patterns of substance use in West Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [38]

    The Introduction names peer pressure as a factor in drug abuse, and Table 2 in the Results reports that friends introduced 64.5% of respondents who reported substance abuse to the practice. The paper does not establish peer influence as a statistically significant factor; its Results identify lack of school lectures as the significant association. Its study is also limited to students in one Nigerian community, rather than West Africa generally. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [13]Igwe WC Ojinnaka N Ejiofor SO Emechebe GO Ibe BC Socio-demographic correlates of psychoactive substance abuse among secondary school students in Enugu, Nigeria Europian Journal of Social Sciences 2009 12 2 277 283

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Authors
Idowu, A., Aremu, A. O., Olumide, A., & Ogunlaja, A. O.
Affiliations
Bowen University Teaching Hospital (NG)
ORCID
Idowu, Ajibola
Venue
African Health Sciences
Publisher
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Published
2018-08-15
Volume
18
Issue
3
Pages
776
ISSN
1680-6905 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.4314/ahs.v18i3.36
PMC
PMC6307013
OpenAlex
W2887832933
Semantic Scholar
7cd04041bf61bbebcf0a64b16a48fd23073e943e
Cited by
85
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1
FWCI
4.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • African Health Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Youth, Drugs, and Violence
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
Keywords
substance abuse, high school students, adolescents, alcohol consumption, tramadol abuse, prevalence, risk factors, school-based drug education, academic performance, Oyo State
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Attitude to Health, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Policy, Humans, Male, Nigeria, Schools, Students, Urban Population, Prevalence, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult

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