Prevalence of Khat chewing in college and secondary (high) school students of Jazan region, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Khat is widely consumed among the youth of Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. However, its prevalence is not well documented. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of khat chewing among college and secondary school students in Jazan region. METHODS: The study was conducted in May 2006 in the colleges and secondary schools in Jazan region. A sample of 10,000 students aged between 15 and 25 years was randomly selected. Students in each year of study were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of khat chewing in all the studied population was 21.4% (colleges 15.2% versus schools 21.5%). There were 3.8% female khat chewers and 37.70% male Khat chewers. Significant differences were found between khat chewers according to age, gender and residence (p < 0.05). The prevalence was different in different colleges and in different provinces of Jazan region. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Khat chewing seems to be high among male students and not remarkable among female students. The use of Khat is significantly associated with age, gender, residence and school and college education (p < 0.05) among students of Jazan region. Strong measures need to be taken for greater awareness among school and college students to reduce its prevalence.