Prevalence of Drug and Alcohol Use among Undergraduate Medical Students in a Nigerian Private University

Aim: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among medical students in a private University based in Abuja, Nigeria.

Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Place and Duration of Study: College of Health Sciences (CHS), Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, between June 2018 and September 2018.

Methodology: Using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire, information was obtained from 49 second year medical students (11 males, 38 females; age range 17-25 years), who were surveyed for the prevalence and reason of drug and alcohol use. Data retrieved was sorted, collated and subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 23.0 statistical package.

Results: The mean age of students was 18.9 years and a higher proportion of respondents were female students (n=38; 77.6%). Out of the 49 students examined in this study, only 2 students currently use drugs while 8 students consume alcohol, given a prevalence of 4% and 16.3% respectively. Reasons given by one male alcohol user include: to build self-confidence (12.5%), while one female drug user uses it to escape from worries or troubles (50%). The prevalence of alcohol use was highest among male students (n=5; 62.5%), while that of drug use was highest among female students (n=2; 100%). Results also showed that the majorities of students were occasional users; and so there was no evidence of physical dependence.

Conclusion: Findings established low prevalence of drug and alcohol use among study groups. However evaluation of full-scale university-level intervention is highly necessary.