Substance use and associated factors among preparatory school students in Kolfe-Keranyo sub-city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Substance abuse is a worldwide problem that primarily affects adolescents, resulting in chronic health complications as well as psychosocial challenges and economic losses. However, the magnitude of the problem and the factors that contribute to it are not well studied in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. As a result, this study was carried out to determine the prevalence and associated factors of substance use among preparatory school students in the Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY: An institution-based cross-sectional study of 383 randomly selected preparatory school students in the Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-city was conducted. The data were gathered using a pretested self-administered structured questionnaire. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with substance use based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) with p values less than 0.05. RESULT: This study revealed that the lifetime prevalence of substance use among preparatory students in Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was 26.5% (95% CI, 22.2, 30.7%). Specifically, 16% drunk alcohol, 9.6% smoked cigarette, and 9.4% chewed khat. The 16.3% were current users, of which 8.3% were drinkers, 6.4% were smokers, and 5.9% were khat chewers. Substance use was significantly associated with being male (AOR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.284, 8.613), having alcohol drinking family member (AOR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.704, 9.196), having khat chewing family member (AOR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.161, 7.070), poor school substance use controlling rule (AOR, 6.64; 95% CI, 1.863, 23.687), availability of substance retailing shops in residential areas (AOR, 2.9; CI, 1.303, 6.606), strong relationship with parents (AOR, 0.005; 95% CI, 0.001, 0.026), and being member of school mini-media (AOR, 0.177; 95% CI, 0.048, 0.657). CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, one-quarter of the study participants were substance users. Alcohol, khat, and cigarettes were all commonly used substances. Gender, parent-child relationship, family member substance use history, school substance use controlling rules, school mini-media and pro-social involvement, and the availability of substance retailing shops were all strongly associated with substance use. Strengthening school rules on substance use, controlling substance retailing shops near schools and residential areas, and providing students with health education are all strategies for reducing substance use among students.