Drug use Among Undergraduates in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Drug use among students is a public health problem and the academic consequences cannot be overemphasized. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the pattern of drug use among undergraduates in Maiduguri and to identify the predictors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of tertiary institutions in Maiduguri Metropolis, Nigeria. Data were collected using the WHO Student Drug Use questionnaire. The data collected with the survey instrument included sex, age, studentship, and job status in the past 12-months and various drugs used. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean and standard deviation were initially used to describe the study data. Chi-Square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to test for significant difference, while multivariate logistic regression was used to identify determinants of drug use with a P-value < 0.05 taken as significant Results: The overall prevalence of the past 12-months drug use was 14.3%. Tobacco (9.6%) followed by alcohol (8.1%) was the most frequently used drug. Being a university student (odds ratio = 1.88 [1.23 - 2.89]) compared to polytechnic student, being a male (1.55 [1.04 - 2.31]) compared to female, aged 26 - 35 years (1.48 [0.95 - 2.31]) compared to 18 - 25 years were significantly more likely to use drugs. Additionally, being a part-time student in the past 12-months (2.16 [1.11 - 4.21]) compared to no studentship status in the past 12 months, and having a paid part-time jobs in the past 12-months (2.11 [1.36 - 3.27]) compared to none were significantly more likely to use drugs. Conclusions: Our study revealed that a considerable proportion of students of higher education institutions in Nigeria use drugs. Drug use has grave implications for these students and may result in mental health disorders and poor academic performance. This highlights the importance of an effective drug prevention policy in higher education institutions.