dc.description.abstract | Substance misuse has long been a concern for university and college students around the world
in terms of academics, health, and growth. Despite multiple efforts by various parties to curb the
threat, the situation in Kenya has worsened during the previous decade. Kenya's government, for
example, has implemented strict laws and strategies to prevent drug penetration in educational
institutions. The usage of social media by college and university students, in particular, has
become a common occurrence in their daily lives. According to studies, social networking sites
are potentially exposing these children to harmful drug exposure. The purpose of this study was
to look into the role of social media in the fight against substance abuse among university
students in Kenya, specifically at the University of Nairobi. The study's specific objectives were
to determine the University of Nairobi undergraduate students' preferred social media
communication platform for combating drug abuse among youth in Kenyan universities; to
determine the University of Nairobi undergraduate students' level of awareness about the dangers
of drug abuse; and to determine the effect of social media communication on drug abuse among
university of Nairobi undergraduate students. The study focused on DOJ & MC students and
employees at the University of Nairobi. Purposive sampling and stratified random sampling
techniques were used to select 82 respondents from a target population of 782 informants,
including 749 undergraduate students from the DOJ&MC, 21 lecturers and 8 administrative staff
from the DOJ&MC, 1 participant from the university health department, 1 students' counsellor
from the office of the dean of students, 1 informant from the UoN directorate of corporate
communications, and 1 communications lecturer. Generally, the researcher purposively sampled
4 key informants from the university and randomly sampled 75 undergraduate students from
DOJ &MC, then conveniently selected 1 administrative staff and 2 lecturers from DOJ & MC.
Mixed method approach was adopted while the design was descriptive survey. Quantitative data
was collected through questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics including
frequencies and percentages while the qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview,
thematically analysed in the context of the five key thematic elements outlined in the objectives.
Pie charts and graphs were used to present the data. SPSS and Ms Excel were used to produce
inferential and descriptive statistics. Social media communication, through campaigns came out
as a better intervention to fight substance abuse, at 54.7% among students in universities in
Kenya. More awareness and provision of correct and accurate information on dangers of
substance abuse through social media was also found to reduce substance abuse amongst
university students. The study also ascertained that providing interventions that intensify the
students‘ knowledge and correct attitude towards illegal drugs, fortifies their confidence and
reduces their chances of drug abuse. A percentage of 45.3 of the undergraduate students at UoN
were not aware of the institution‘s social media policies. The study thus recommends adequate
involvement of the students as key stakeholders in social media policy formulation and
implementation in universities to effectively fight substance abuse amongst students in
universities. The study also recommends substance abuse awareness to be incorporated in the
curriculum as a common unit of study in Kenyan universities as it will provide an insight into the
causes and effects for easy curbing of substance abuse in universities. It also recommends more
use of WhatsApp, Facebook and twitter by universities, as the students‘ most preferred
platforms; and a closer liaison of the universities with NACADA, and medical practitioners to
effectively address substance abuse and other issues among the university students. | en_US |