Pattern of substance use among secondary school students in Rivers State

The problem of substance use in our secondary schools with cultism has negatively affected learning [corrected]. The aim of this study was to determine the commonly used substances and the factors that influence their use in these adolescents.

One thousand and forty-nine students of four secondary schools in Port Harcourt were screened using a self administered 117 items-substance use questionnaires.

Males constituted 57.2% and females, 42.8% of the study population. Eighty-seven percent were using at least one substance, at the time of the survey while 3% were past users in the last one-year. Ten percent had never used any of the substances. The substances commonly used included alcohol 65%, kolanut 63.1%, cigarettes 61%, paracetamol 41.5%, butazolidine 39.3%, pemoline 28% and cannabis 26%. Others include tetracycline 25.7% and ampicillin 24.3% and valium 24%. Those that were least used included, heroine, cocaine, latex, petrol, pethidine and ativan. The mean age of onset for alcohol was 4 years, kolanut 8 years, cigarettes 11 years, paracetamol, tetracycline, valium, cannabis was, 12 years, lexotan and ativan, was 12.5 years and, latex inhalation, petrol, pethidine, ativan, cocaine and heroine was 13.17 years. Males predominated in all the substances used.

The use of substances/drugs among our youths is assuming a dangerous dimension, hence calls for immediate and enduring measures to curb this disturbing trend of abuse of substances.