The Insurgence of Tramadol Abuse among the Most Active Population in Jirapa Municipality: A Study to Assess the Magnitude of the Abuse and Its Contributory Factors

BACKGROUND: Tramadol has gained popularity among the drugs of the most active population especially the respondents in Ghana abuse especially farmers who nicknamed as “farm and buy cow.” It has recently become a public health concern, and stakeholders are worried about tramadol abuse and its implications on health in the Upper West Region. The study sought to measure the prevalence of tramadol/related substance abuse and the associated factors. METHODS: A community-based analytic cross-sectional study involving 420 respondents was conducted. The participants were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Semistructured questionnaire was used to generate the data. RESULTS: About 77.6% of the respondents abuse tramadol while 83.9% of the participants take at least one other related substance or drug. Participants with history of any substance abuse were 5 times more likely to abuse tramadol [AOR = 5.15; 95% CI (1.501-17.656); p = 0.009], compared to respondents with no history of any substance abuse. Respondents who take tramadol to enhance sex were 4 times more likely to abuse tramadol [AOR = 3.776; 95% CI (1.352-10.545); p = 0.011]. Formal sector employment was protective against tramadol abuse [AOR = 0.100; 95% CI (0.017-0.595); p = 0.011] compared to self-employment and the unemployed. In addition, use of nonopioid prescription drugs for posttraumatic/pain management reduced the risk of tramadol abuse [AOR = 0.237; 95% CI (0088-0.640); p = 0.004] compared to the posttraumatic/pain management dependence on prescription of only opioid like tramadol. CONCLUSION: An infantile municipality like Jirapa is challenged with high level of tramadol and related substance which has serious repercussion on the health system in the Jirapa district. It is important that measures are taken by the stakeholders to stop tramadol and related substance and mitigate the impact of drug abuse in the district.