Prevalence and predictors of drug abuse among university students in delta state, Nigeria

Background Drug abuse among undergraduates has increased and is now considered a major public health problem in Nigeria. This study assesses the prevalence and predictors of drug abuse amongst university students in Delta State, Nigeria. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and June 2023 among 1134 university students in Delta State, using multistage sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire to assess the prevalence and predictors of drug abuse. All undergraduate students from three accredited universities were included in the study. Data analysis was done using the IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26). Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara. Results The mean age of participants was 20.9 ± 2.89 years, and the prevalence of drug abuse was 27.4%. The significant factors associated with drug abuse were religion (p=0.001), faculty of study (P = 0.007), parental status (P= 0.001), and marital status (P<0.001). However, having only the mother alive (AOR= 2.62; 95%CI: 1.25-5.48), both parents alive (AOR=2.64; 95%CI:1.39-4.97), and being in the faculty of basic medical sciences (AOR=6.96; 95%CI:1.14 - 42.54) were the only significant predictors of drug abuse. Conclusion This study revealed a relatively high prevalence of drug abuse among respondents, and the major reasons for drug abuse were stress, curiosity, and peer pressure. It is therefore recommended that targeted interventions to reduce negative parental influences, peer pressure and stress among students should be regularly implemented in universities to reduce the prevalence of drug abuse.