Abstract
BackgroundAbout 13.3% of the South African population use some kind of substance during their lifetime. The incidence of substance use disorders is twice the global average. The use of various substances amongst people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) has increased tremendously in recent years. The growing culture of substance use amongst PLWH is a serious threat adding to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and is likely to compromise the continuity of HIV care.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive survey recruited adult PLWH who attended primary healthcare (PHC) services in Mthatha between 15 March and 15 April 2018. The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test questionnaire (ASSIST), a tool validated by the World Health Organization, was used for data collection.ResultsOut of a total 347 participants, 53% reported lifetime substance use and 32% admitted current use of a substance. Alcohol was the most common substance reported, followed by tobacco and cannabis. The majority of participants were female (75.2%), unemployed (70.8%), had secondary school-level education (85.2%) and a per capita household income below the national food poverty line (75%). The mean age of the participants was 37.9 years (standard deviation [SD] ± 10.33); this was marginally higher for male (39.9 years; SD ± 10.92) than female (37.2 years; SD ± 10.06) participants.ConclusionThis study has shown that there is a high prevalence of lifetime and current alcohol abuse amongst PLWH who make use of PHC services in the Mthatha area of South Africa. Of particular concern are the strong pointers towards younger people and males.
Highlights
A quarter of a billion, or 1 in 20 people between the ages of 15 and 64 years, used a substance at least once in 2016.1 Substance abuse is widely defined as the harmful and hazardous use of tobacco, alcohol and psychotic substances.[2]
The prevalence of substance use amongst people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) is reported to be much higher than amongst the general population
There were 347 people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) (Figure 2) who participated in the study
Summary
A quarter of a billion, or 1 in 20 people between the ages of 15 and 64 years, used a substance at least once in 2016.1 Substance abuse is widely defined as the harmful and hazardous use of tobacco, alcohol and psychotic substances.[2]. The global estimated prevalence of substance use is 5.2% and the rate has been steady since 2011.1 About 0.6% of the global adult population suffers from substance dependency.[1,3] Globally, cannabis (dagga) is the most commonly used substance, followed by amphetamine and opioids. About 13.3% of the South African population uses at least one substance during their lifetime. The prevalence of substance use disorders is twice the global average. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance in South Africa, followed by tobacco and cannabis. About 13.3% of the South African population use some kind of substance during their lifetime. The incidence of substance use disorders is twice the global average. The use of various substances amongst people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) has increased tremendously in recent years. The growing culture of substance use amongst PLWH is a serious threat adding to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and is likely to compromise the continuity of HIV care
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Schedule a callMore From: South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care
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