SUBSTANCE USE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JIGJIGA CITY, SOMALI REGION, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background:Substance use is widespread all over the world among adolescent and young adult during the last 25 years. It becomes one of the most threatening and challenging social and public health problem and Substance use is destructive to economically costly, and sometimes fatal. Persistent use despite recurrent social/interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of a substance.Being a global burden of youths, substances use is unhealthy behavior that exposes youths to health and social problems. Knowledge of the prevalence of substance use and associated factors among jigjiga secondary school students is important for designing periodic and locally appropriate interventions. This study is conducted to assess substance use and associated factors among jigjiga secondary school students. Objective:To assess the substance use and associated factors among high school students in jigjiga. April 03 to April 31, 2023. Methodology:A school-based cross-sectional study was conduct among 385 systematic sampling selected students from secondary schools found in jigjiga city, Ethiopia. The sample size is calculated using a single population proportion formula. The Data was collected by BSc health professional using a pretested structured questionnaire based on proportionally allocated of each school, using simple random sampling technique. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 22Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) was calculated. Furthermore, cross-tabulation for categorical variables was produced to determine factors associated with substance use, Odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was calculated to measure the strength of association between dependent and independent variables. To ascertain the association; variables found to be significant (p-value<=0.25) in the bivariate analysis was used to construct a multivariable model. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to control possible confounders and to determine factors that may be significantly associated with substance use. For multivariable analysis statistical significance was considered with two side‟s p-value of 0.05. Result:In this study Out of the total 385 respondents, 374 participants responded to the questionnaire a response rate of 97%. 105participant (28.1) had substance users. The overall current prevalence of substance use among the respondents was28.1% (AOR=2.3, 95% CI; 23.8, 32.9)). Specifically, Khat chewers, 11.5%, Smoking cigarate (17.6%), Alcohol drinking (1.6% %), and illicit drugs (1.9% %). Male of respondents (AOR= 6.14, 95% CI: 2.7, 14.1) Family history of substance use (AOR= 3.1,95% CI: 2.0, 7.63) and Friend history of substance use (AOR= 8.42, 95% CI: 4.1, 17.1)were found to be significantly associated with substance use. xi Conclusion:This study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and factors associated with substance use among the jigjiga secondary school students out of 385 sample 374 participants. The findings indicate that substance use is a complex issue influenced by multiple factors, including sex, family and friend history of substance use. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted interventions to address substance use effectively.