Department of Mental Health, Moi University School of Medicine, PO Box 4606, Eldoret 30100, Kenya.
BMC Psychiatry. 2011 Feb 28;11:34. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-11-34.
Substance use among college and university students predicts substance related problems in later life. Few studies on this phenomenon have been carried out in low income countries, and most focus on primary and secondary school students. This study therefore aimed to establish the prevalence and factors associated with drug use among university and college students in a low income country.
A descriptive cross-sectional survey using the Self-Administered WHO Model Core Questionnaire to collect information on use of various drugs among students in colleges and university campuses within Eldoret Municipality in Western Kenya.
Four tertiary learning institutions in Eldoret Municipality were randomly selected for inclusion in the study- three tertiary level non-university institutions and one university campus.
Five hundred students who gave consent to participate in the study, 125 from each of the four participating institutions. The mean age was 22.9 years (18-32, s.d. 2.5), and males made up 52.2% of the sample.
Lifetime prevalence rate of any substance use was 69.8%, and none of the socio-demographic factors was significantly associated with this. Lifetime prevalence rate of alcohol use was 51.9%, and 97.6% of alcohol users had consumed alcohol in the week prior to the study. The prevalence rate of cigarette use was 42.8%, with males having statistically significantly higher rates than females (p < 0.05). Other substances used were cannabis (2%) and cocaine (0.6%). Among those who admitted to using substances, 75.1% were introduced by a friend while 23.5% were introduced by a relative other than a member of the nuclear family. Majority of those using substances wanted to relax (62.2%) or relieve stress (60.8%). Problems associated with alcohol use included quarrelling and fights, loss and damage to property, problems with parents, medical problems and unplanned unprotected sex.
The prevalence of substance use among college and university students in Eldoret is high and causes significant physical and psychosocial problems in this population. A large proportion of those using alcohol reported serious adverse effects, raising the necessity of targeted interventions to reduce the risk of subsequent substance dependence and other deleterious consequences.
大学生的物质使用情况预示着他们在以后的生活中会出现与物质相关的问题。在低收入国家，很少有关于这种现象的研究，而且大多数研究都集中在中小学学生身上。因此，本研究旨在确定在一个低收入国家的大学生中，药物使用的流行率和相关因素。
使用自我管理的世界卫生组织核心问卷进行描述性横断面调查，以收集大学生在肯尼亚西部埃尔多雷特市大学校园内使用各种毒品的信息。
在埃尔多雷特市随机选择了四所高等学府参加这项研究-三所高等非大学机构和一所大学校园。
共有 500 名同意参加研究的学生，每个参与机构有 125 名学生。平均年龄为 22.9 岁（18-32 岁，标准差为 2.5），男性占样本的 52.2%。
终生任何物质使用的流行率为 69.8%，没有一个社会人口因素与之显著相关。终生酒精使用的流行率为 51.9%，97.6%的酒精使用者在研究前一周内都有饮酒。吸烟的流行率为 42.8%，男性的吸烟率明显高于女性（p<0.05）。其他使用的物质还有大麻（2%）和可卡因（0.6%）。在承认使用物质的人中，75.1%是被朋友介绍的，而 23.5%是被非核心家庭的亲戚介绍的。大多数使用物质的人想放松（62.2%）或缓解压力（60.8%）。与酒精使用相关的问题包括争吵和打架、财产损失和损坏、与父母的问题、医疗问题和无计划的无保护性行为。
埃尔多雷特大学生的物质使用流行率很高，在该人群中造成了重大的身体和心理社会问题。很大一部分使用酒精的人报告了严重的不良影响，这就需要有针对性的干预措施来降低随后物质依赖和其他有害后果的风险。
