Substance abuse among university students. A look at predisposing factors

Abstract

Background: Most young people are exposed or involved in substance use at very early ages and this has become a subject of public concern worldwide partly because of its potential to contribute to unintentional and intentional bodily harm Problem. Despite the growing problems of global substance abuse, accurate information on the prevalence of substance abuse among university students in Kenya is still inadequate. Objective: The study therefore evaluated the prevalence of substance use and factors influencing substance use among youth attending university in Kakamega Design. The study design was a cross-sectional analytical, that utilized quantitative methods Setting. The study was conducted in Kakamega County, located in Western Kenya. Sample: Random sampling was utilized to select the study group Analysis. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Data presentation was done using frequency tables, charts and in narratives. The alpha level for all the computations was considered significant at an α