ArticlePloS one2022
Prevalence of substance use and associated factors among secondary school adolescents in Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Substance use among young people in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Sex Differences in the Factors Associated With Lifetime Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Use Among Ghanaian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Cannabis Use Among Ugandan Medical Students: Prevalence, Predictors, and Coping Strategies in a Cross-Sectional Study.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Mental health problems among secondary school students 10-24 years in Kilimanjaro region, Northern Tanzania.African health sciences · 2025Article
- The prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, stimulant, khat, and cannabis use among school-going students in African and Arab countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osong public health and research perspectives · 2025Article
- Substance use among young people in the West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Determinants of substance use among adolescents aged 10-19 years in Tanga Region, Eastern Tanzania: A cross-sectional analysis.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Gendered mediating role of substance use in the path from internet addiction or gambling to active violence in youth in the region of Mahdia, Tunisia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Prevalence and factors influencing substance abuse among secondary school students in Mbeya City, Tanzania.African health sciences · 2024Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with illicit drug and high-risk alcohol use among adolescents living in urban slums of Kampala, Uganda.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Prevalence, correlates, and reasons for substance use among adolescents aged 10-17 in Ghana: a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-method study.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2024Article
- The mediating role of self-control on the relations between adverse childhood experiences and substance use among adolescents in Uganda.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Suicidal Attempts among Secondary School-Going Adolescents in Kilimanjaro Region, Northern Tanzania.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Common adolescent mental health disorders seen in Family Medicine Clinics in Ghana and Nigeria.PloS one · 2023Article
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7 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSubstance use among school-going adolescents increases the risk of developing mental disorders, addiction, and substance use disorders. These may lead to poor academic performance and reduced productivity, which affects adolescent lives. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of substance use and associated factors among secondary school adolescents in the Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania. METHODOLOGY: The study used secondary data from a cross-sectional survey of adolescents aged 10-19 years from public secondary schools in the Kilimanjaro Region, northern Tanzania. Substance use was measured using the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) questionnaire. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages, while numerical variables used mean and standard deviation. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to determine risk factors associated with lifetime and current (within the past 30 days preceding the survey) substance use.
resultsThe lifetime and current prevalence of substance use among 3224 adolescents was 19.7% and 12.8%, respectively, while alcohol and cigarettes were commonly used. Female adolescents had lower odds of current substance use (OR = 0.63, 95%CI 0.50-0.80). Higher odds of current substance use were among adolescents who have ever had sex (OR = 4.31, 95%CI 3.25-5.71), ever engaged in a physical fight (OR = 2.19, 95%CI 1.73-2.78), ever been bullied (OR = 1.55, 95%CI 1.16-2.05), always seen alcohol advertisements (OR = 1.87, 95%CI 1.37-2.53), and adolescents whose parent/guardians rarely understood their problems (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.03-1.85). Adolescents whose classmates always showed social support had lower odds of current substance use (AOR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.53-0.97). Similar factors were associated with lifetime substance users.
conclusionThe study reflects a high prevalence of substance use among adolescents in the Kilimanjaro region. Alcohol and cigarette are the most prevalent substances used. Regulatory measures are essential to limit alcohol advertisements that are media portrayed. Efforts are needed to reduce risk behaviors, such as physical violence and bullying, through peer support groups/clubs in school environments.
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