An assessment of drug and substance abuse prevalence: a cross-sectional study among undergraduates in selected southwestern universities in Nigeria

Abstract

Objective This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and awareness of drug and substance abuse among undergraduates in four southwestern universities in Nigeria. Methods The sample of 400 students included 100 male and female students in the 15- to 29-year age range from each of the four selected universities in southwest Nigeria between December 2019 and June 2020. Descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square tests were used for data analysis using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Results Four hundred students satisfied the inclusion criteria and suitably completed the questionnaire. Most respondents were in the 15- to 19-year and 20- to 24-year age groups and were female (68%). Drug and substance abuse prevalence was 45.7%; one in every four students abused substances despite an aggregate risk awareness level of 94.6%. Alcohol and cigarettes—legally and socially accepted substances—were the most abused (61.5% and 54.5%, respectively). Codeine-containing syrup and tramadol topped the list of drugs, ranking higher than cannabis. The major motive was to ‘get high’ and numb emotional problems caused by predominantly socioeconomic and societal factors. Conclusion The study showed a notable prevalence of drug and substance abuse across the selected universities in southwest Nigeria.

Prevalence and health consequences of nonmedical use of tramadol in Africa: A systematic scoping review

“…One study found a rate of 1% [ 92 ], while another showed 1.8% among a sample of 500 students [ 95 ]. Contrasting with these lower prevalence rates, a study in Nigeria observed a high prevalence of 35.0% within a sample of 400 undergraduate students [ 101 ].…”

Exploring the Effects of Criminal Activities on Sustainable Tourism Development in Cross River State-Nigeria

“…Put differently, public space like tourism sites and destinations that are generally open and accessible to people must always b e subjected to safety and security strategies. But with the increasing rate of kidnapping, armed robbery trafficking and other forms of crime, fear have been expressed that sustained tourism will bear the brunt of failure of not providing adequate security globally (Brugger and Zongo, 2023;Olanrewaju et al, 2022). But in Kenya as part of the design to safe tourism, the government utilizes the reformation and rehabilitation of not only addicts but also criminals as well as ex -convicts, as a vital strategy in the prevention of crime to boost tourism (Nelson and Kenedy, 2023).…”

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“…Nigeria has a documented drug use and abuse problem with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1 and a drug usage and abuse rate of 1.3% to 5.5%, with the South-West having the highest incidence, particularly in Lagos and Oyo States 58 . The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that 14.4% of Nigerians (14.3 million) between the ages of 15 and 65 who use or abuse drugs did so in the previous year 18,19 .…”

“…However, its cultivation is highest in the following six states -Edo, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, and Osun 18,19 . The highest documented cultivation density is in the field border areas between Edo and Ondo States, in regions with a low human population density and a large forest cover 18,58 ; throughout these states, a total of 8,900 hectares of land are used 18 . Cannabis is cultivated in Nigeria sexually (using seeds) on large fields of abandoned farms, either as a standalone crop or growing beneath other crops to provide aerial coverage 2,18,58 .…”