Shifa Jemal Ebrahim, Adams Jon, Demant Daniel
Faculty of Health, School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Australia.
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Madda Walabu University, Shashemene, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2025 Mar 28;20(3):e0319432. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319432. eCollection 2025.
Substance use is a pressing public health concern in young Ethiopians, impacting their physical, psychosocial, and emotional well-being and productivity. However, there is a limited understanding of the prevalence and factors associated with substance use in this population both across Ethiopia and in the West Arsi zone specifically. This study investigates the prevalence of substance use and associated factors among young people in the West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia.
A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 427 randomly selected young people aged 14-29 in the West Arsi zone of the Oromia region, Ethiopia. Data were collected using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the outcome and independent variables. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and Madda Walabu University, Ethiopia.
A total of 424 participants were included in the analysis, giving a response rate of 99.3%. The overall lifetime prevalence of any substance use among the study participants was 48.1% (95% CI: 43.3%, 53.0%) and the prevalence of current substance use was 72.5% (95% CI: 65.9, 78.5). Among lifetime users, 76.5% reported chewing khat, 49.0% drinking alcohol, 33.3% using various forms of tobacco, and 23.0% using cannabis. Being male, having a single marital status, a family history of substance use, low perceived social support, and the presence of mental health conditions were associated with an increased likelihood of substance use.
About half of the study participants reported a history of use of at least one substance from alcohol, khat, tobacco, or cannabis in their lifetime, highlighting the need for appropriate focused interventions to help address the growing challenges of substance use amongst young people in Ethiopia.
物质使用是埃塞俄比亚年轻人面临的一个紧迫的公共卫生问题，影响着他们的身体、心理社会和情感健康以及生产力。然而，无论是在整个埃塞俄比亚还是具体在西阿尔西地区，人们对该人群中物质使用的流行情况及其相关因素的了解都很有限。本研究调查了埃塞俄比亚西阿尔西地区年轻人中物质使用的流行情况及其相关因素。
在埃塞俄比亚奥罗米亚地区西阿尔西地区随机选取427名年龄在14至29岁之间的年轻人进行了一项基于社区的横断面调查。数据通过由访谈员管理的结构化问卷收集。进行逻辑回归分析以确定结果与自变量之间的关联。获得了澳大利亚悉尼科技大学和埃塞俄比亚马德达瓦拉布大学的伦理批准。
共有424名参与者纳入分析，回复率为99.3%。研究参与者中任何物质使用的终生总体流行率为48.1%（95%置信区间：43.3%，53.0%），当前物质使用的流行率为72.5%（95%置信区间：65.9，78.5）。在终生使用者中，76.5%报告有恰特草咀嚼行为，49.0%饮酒，33.3%使用各种形式的烟草，23.0%使用大麻。男性、单身婚姻状况、物质使用家族史、低感知社会支持以及存在心理健康状况与物质使用可能性增加相关。
约一半的研究参与者报告在其一生中至少使用过酒精、恰特草、烟草或大麻中的一种物质，这突出表明需要采取适当的针对性干预措施，以帮助应对埃塞俄比亚年轻人中日益增长的物质使用挑战。
