Firezer Belay Keno, Golja Eba Abdissa, Desisa Adisu Ewunetu, Gobena Gelane Gurmu, Bulbula Desalegn Biru, Moti Lalisa Mekonnen, Dibbisa Keneni Efrem, Fikadu Worku, Fetensa Getahun
School of Public Health, Institute of Health Science, Wallaga University, Nekemte, Ethiopia.
Gimbi General Hospital, Oromia Regional Health Bureau, Gimbi, Ethiopia.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 25;13:1519425. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1519425. eCollection 2025.
Substance use among undergraduate university students has been recognized as a global public health issue; however, little attention is given to addressing this issue. Limited research has been conducted on substance use and its associated factors in the western part of Ethiopia, including our study area, with the same study population. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of substance use and its associated factors among undergraduate students at Wallaga University in Western Ethiopia in 2024.
An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 674 undergraduate students at Wallaga University from 25 March 2024 to 2 May 2024. Multistage cluster sampling was used for the sampling procedures, and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire developed using the World Health Organization (WHO) ASSIST V3.0 tool. The collected data were entered into EpiData v.4.6 and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.26. Variables with a -value of <0.25 in the bivariate analysis were entered into multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to quantify the degree of association. A -value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant in the final model.
A total of 674 students were included in the analysis, achieving a response rate of 94%. The mean age of the study participants was 22.66 ± 2.21 years (SD). The magnitude of current substance use was 29.5% (29.5, 95%CI: 25.96-33.04%). The current use of alcohol, khat, and tobacco was reported by 145 (22.8%) participants, 94 (14.8%) participants, and 16 (2.5%) participants, respectively. Factors such as being male (AOR =1.95, 95%CI: 1.27-2.78), having pocket money greater than 1,000 ETB (AOR = 2.27, 95%CI: 1.20-4.28), being a natural science student (AOR = 1.80, 95%CI: 1.17-2.78), having a mother who is a merchant (AOR = 1.96, 95%CI:1.09-3.51), and having a family member with a history of substance use (AOR = 2.93, 95%CI:2.02-4.24) were independently associated with substance use.
The overall magnitude of substance use among undergraduate students at Wallaga University was high. Factors such as sex, religion, monthly pocket money, department stream, mother's occupation, and having a family member with a history of substance use were independently associated with substance use. Therefore, Wallaga University, along with its stakeholders such as the community around the campus area, students' families, and NGOs working on substance use, should collaborate to tackle the problem effectively. Generally, substance use among students demands special attention; therefore, preventive measures and control strategies should be implemented to avoid substance use among students.
大学生中的物质使用问题已被公认为一个全球公共卫生问题；然而，在解决这个问题上几乎没有得到关注。在埃塞俄比亚西部，包括我们的研究区域，针对相同研究人群，关于物质使用及其相关因素的研究有限。因此，本研究旨在评估2024年埃塞俄比亚西部瓦拉加大学本科生中物质使用的程度及其相关因素。
2024年3月25日至2024年5月2日，在瓦拉加大学开展了一项基于机构的横断面研究，涉及674名本科生。抽样程序采用多阶段整群抽样，数据通过使用世界卫生组织（WHO）ASSIST V3.0工具开发的自填式问卷收集。收集到的数据录入EpiData v.4.6，并使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）v.26进行分析。在双变量分析中P值<0.25的变量被纳入多变量逻辑回归。调整后的比值比及相应的95%置信区间（CIs）用于量化关联程度。在最终模型中，P值≤0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
共有674名学生纳入分析，应答率为94%。研究参与者的平均年龄为22.66±2.21岁（标准差）。当前物质使用的程度为29.5%（29.5，95%CI：25.96 - 33.04%）。分别有145名（22.8%）参与者、94名（14.8%）参与者和16名（2.5%）参与者报告当前使用酒精、恰特草和烟草。诸如男性（调整后比值比[AOR]=1.95，95%CI：1.27 - 2.78）、零花钱超过1000埃塞俄比亚比尔（AOR = 2.27，95%CI：1.20 - 4.28）、是自然科学专业学生（AOR = 1.80，95%CI：1.17 - 2.78）、母亲是商人（AOR = 1.96，95%CI：1.09 - 3.51）以及有家庭成员有物质使用史（AOR = 2.93，95%CI：2.02 - 4.24）等因素与物质使用独立相关。
瓦拉加大学本科生中物质使用的总体程度较高。性别、宗教、每月零花钱、专业方向、母亲职业以及有家庭成员有物质使用史等因素与物质使用独立相关。因此，瓦拉加大学应与其利益相关者，如校园周边社区、学生家庭以及致力于物质使用问题的非政府组织合作，以有效解决该问题。总体而言，学生中的物质使用问题需要特别关注；因此，应实施预防措施和控制策略以避免学生使用物质。
