Awareness and knowledge of drug and substance use among 18-24 year-old female adolesents: a case study of Soweto - Kayole Nairobi county

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances is an old practice among people from around the world. Alcohol has been consumed for its pleasurable effects as far back as the early human settlements; cannabis, khat, coca leaves and opium poppy have been consumed in different societies for centuries. In more recent times, however, traditional and often controlled use of these substances has given way to a more problematic pattern of use, a pattern that is associated with many social and health problems. More than that, the numbers of people who consume alcoholic beverages, smoke cigarettes and use illicit drugs have increased significantly. Substance abuse among adolescents continues to be a growing concern globally and in this setting. Considerable variation in the prevalence of legal and illegal substance use among adolescents exists between countries are developed countries, lack of solid data from the less developed countries makes comparisons difficult. The main objective of the study is to assess drug and substance use among female adolescents in Soweto-Kayole Sub-County Nairobi County. The research design for this study is a descriptive survey. In view of this, the study will adopt the field survey method to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population for this study will be all the female adolescents who are prone to the substance and drug abuse in Kayole Sub-County in Nairobi County. The study sample 180 female adolescence (18-24) years within the area (Soweto-Kayole Sub-County) who are prone to substance and drug abuse. Quantitative data will be scrutinized for completeness, accuracy and uniformity. Data from questionnaires will analyzed using descriptive statistics, and come out with frequencies and percentages using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) - this is the reliable tool for quantitative data analysis. This study found out that the common drugs and substances abused by female adolescents in Soweto were alcohol, tobacco, hallucinogens (aerosol, gasoline, petrol spray, glue) and stimulants (cocaine, miraa). The study unveiled that the same drugs were more in demand by students compared to hard drugs that were subjects of experimentation and new in the market. It was evident that a reasonable percentage of female adolescents had moved from abusing alcohol to hard drugs like narcotics. The abuse of hard drugs was becoming common for adolescents. Female adolescents were getting introduced to drug abuse, though other female friends who use them were more in number. The study found that, a good number of female adolescents suffer from anxiety, sweating, shaking and vomiting, get terrified and feel like committing suicide, suffer from coughing and chest pains and headaches, are always nervousness and with red eyes, suffer from sleepiness and tiredness, and others get confused, lack of co-ordination and loss of appetite. The study found that a good number of the respondents strongly agreed that they knew about drugs from my friends and some of their friends take drugs, this is so since the statements scored a mean of 4.63 and 4.35 and that they don’t take drugs because their parents also take, they take drugs to belong to their friends that they use drugs to cope with stress. Findings indicate that the majority of the friends there levels of drug use is very high. The study found that the majority apply oral means when they are using the drugs and substance. According to the findings, majority of the respondents 46.70% indicated that they use the drugs on the streets, 20% use the drugs at parties, 13.30% use them before doing sports, and 13.30% use them before exams, while 6.70% use them at home. The study found that the majority of the respondents take drugs because, they were influenced by friends to start taking drugs, due to need to relieve stress, easiness accessibility of drugs in the area, need to enjoy the feeling of the potency, ones need to experiment, and one’s cultural expectations. The study found that respondents strongly agreed that they like to change many things in their lives and they also wish they had a different kind of life.