Understanding drugs and behaviour

Objective: Tramadol is an opioid agent used for pain management with huge potentials of misuse. The misuse of Tramadol is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; and this is common among...

https://tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14659891.2019.1604842

Tramadol misuse in the Niger Delta; A review of cases presenting within a year

Background: The burden of drug abuse is becoming a public health concern in Nigeria. Preventive measures should include identifying the root causes of the burden for targeted intervention. We, therefore, aim to conduct a scoping review of the literature to summarize the findings of epidemiological studies on drug abuse and provisions of drug laws in Nigeria. The review also provides appropriate recommendations as interventions for prevention. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature on PubMed to identify information on drug abuse and drug laws in Nigeria from the inception of the database to March 2020. Additional information was retrieved from Google Scholar, a manual search of included articles, discussion with experts on the subject matter, and gray literature. Study selection was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements. Information from gray literature was assessed for quality and accuracy using the AACODS checklist (authority, accuracy, coverage, objectively, date, significance). Results: The systematic search of the literature generated 253 studies. Nine articles were obtained from other sources. After the selection process, 23 eligible studies were included for review. A prevalence of 20-40% and 20.9% of drug abuse was reported among students and youths, respectively. Commonly abused drugs include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, codeine, cough syrup and tramadol. Sources where abusers obtained drugs, were pharmacies/patent medicine shops, open drug markets, drug hawkers, fellow drug abusers, friends, and drug pushers. Drug abuse was common among undergraduates and secondary school students, youths, commercial bus drivers, farmers, and sex workers. Reason for use included to increase physical performance, stress and to derive pleasure. Poor socioeconomic factors and low educational background were the common risk factors associated with drug abuse. We identified several drug laws and policies that were established under government agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and a Presidential Advisory Committee. Conclusion: Findings from epidemiological studies on drug abuse in Nigeria has demonstrated that the burden of drug abuse is still high despite the existing drug laws, policies, and strategies for prevention. Measures to reduce the burden should involve the community, government, and religious bodies. Preventive measures should target the youths, the students, identified sources of the drugs, reasons and risk factors associated with drug abuse in Nigeria.

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The burden of drug abuse in Nigeria: a scoping review of epidemiological studies and drug laws

In The Gambia like all nations, drug abuse is seen as a social and health problem that has many serious implications for the physical, social, psychological and intellectual development of the victims more especially, the children. Therefore, it continues to be a concern to families, community leaders, educators, social workers, health care professionals, academics, government and its development partners. Though there some studies on drug abuse, there is none on children and drug abuse focusing on the street children the most vulnerable category. Street children are hypothesized to be more at risk of any epidemic including drug abuse. This study sought to determine the risk and prevalence of drug abuse among street children focusing on those in the car parks. The research was focused on six critical areas: level of knowledge of drug abuse, perception towards it, level of knowledge of the causes of it in the community and among street children, level of knowledge of negative impacts of it, level of knowledge of the preventive methods; and level of knowledge of the support services and treatments needed by victims. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from thirty five participants (i.e. one driver and six casual apprentices from each of the five car parks) were interviewed. The data was presented and analysed using tables and percentage. The findings revealed among other things, that there is high level of awareness of drug abuse but the feelings towards it is mixed. Like other children, street children are abusing drugs mainly due to peer influence with the ultimate objective of getting high to relief stress, group recognition, trusted by peers, etc. Similarly, participants are highly aware of the negative impacts encompassing fighting, stealing, mental illness, etc. To finance the behaviour, victims are engaged in all types of dangerous antisocial behaviour including romantic ones exposing them to a range of diseases including STIs and HIV/AIDS. Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug. Though in the minority, some have started experimenting cocaine/coke, hashish; and heroin. While participants have good knowledge of the critical methods to fight drug abuse, the support services needed by victims, victims are mostly reluctant to seek the services not only because they are hard to find but fear societal stigmatization, exclusion and discrimination and professionals’ maltreatments.

https://biomedres.us/pdfs/BJSTR.MS.ID.001982.pdf

Drug Abuse Among Street Children

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) remain an important public health issue worldwide Psychoactive substance use is one of the main contributors to the occurrence of traffic accidents, and its use by truck drivers is a global problem Also, psychoactive substance use is a commonly observed behavior among truck drivers To the best of our knowledge, no evidence shows the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 systematically selected truck drivers at Modjo dry port in Ethiopia, from February 1 to March 1, 2018 The data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews using a structured questionnaire The collected data were entered into EpiData version 4200 and analyzed using SPSS version 20 Binary logistic regression analysis was computed to determine the association using crude and adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals The level of significance was declared at p value < 005 in the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis Results: Of the 400 truck drivers interviewed, the overall one-month self-reported prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 70% (n = 280) In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, aged 38 years and above (AOR = 040, 95% CI [023-069]), Christianity religion (AOR = 052, 95% CI [028-097]), college and university education (AOR = 347, 95% CI [127-947]), having a family size of 3 or more (AOR = 034, 95% CI [020-060]), having 6 or more hours spent sleeping at night (AOR = 046, 95% CI [028-075]), and rest breaks between driving (AOR = 213, 95% CI [114-397]) were significantly associated with psychoactive substance use Conclusion: The one-month prevalence of psychoactive substance use among truck drivers was remarkably high We can conclude that psychoactive substance use is a public health problem among truck drivers, which is a major threat to themselves and others on the road The sociodemographic and occupational factors are the factors associated with drivers' psychoactive substance use Therefore, devising health education and counseling program for drivers to tackle the problem plays paramount importance

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Psychoactive Substance Use and Its Associated Factors among Truck Drivers in Ethiopia.

Background: The use of illicit substances among commercial bus drivers is not only increasing but strangelypredisposing the drivers and their passengers to health hazards. There is however paucity of empirical data on the factors associated with this increase. Aim: This study was conducted to explore the determinants of substance abuse among commercial bus drivers in Kano Metropolis, Kano state, Nigeria. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional design was used for the study where by 196 respondents were selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. A validated and structured interviewer administered questionnaire (IAQ) was used to collect data from the eligible respondents. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Findings from the study showed that eight out of every ten (81.1%) of the respondents has ever abused a substance. The desires to relax/sleep after a hard days job (84.8%), work hard (48%), relieve stress (81%), relieve anxiety (66.5%) and pleasure (72%) are the major factors associated with the abuse of substances by the respondents. The most commonly abused substances by the respondents include solution (93.3%) coffee (85.2%), Tramadol (80.6%), local stimulant tea (Gadagi) (78.1%), cola-nut (66.3%) and tobacco (65%), Substance abuse can be reduced by controlling the production and sale of commonly abused substance (27.6%). Conclusion: The major determinants of substance abuse among commercial bus drivers are the desires to work hard, relieve of stress and anxiety. It is therefore recommended that Government should control the production, supply and sale of these illicit substances.

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Determinants of Substance Abuse among Commercial Bus Drivers in Kano Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria

• Living in an IDP camp is the common predictor of stress, depression and anxiety. • Separation from one's partner was predictive of depression and anxiety, but not stress. • Youthful age 18–29 years was a protective factor anxiety and stress. • Older adults aged ≥50 years were more likely to have depression, anxiety, and stress. This study compares the psychological profile of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and individuals living in host communities in the war-affected setting. We conducted a cross-sectional survey from October-November 2019. Subjects were recruited from six IDPs camps and the surrounding host communities within the metropolis of Maiduguri, Nigeria by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Hausa version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and analysed by logistic regression using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A total of 562 subjects were recruited. Living in IDP camp was the most significantly predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress. The common predictors were living in an IDP camp, and marital status (separated). Aged 18–29years was a protective factor compared to those ≥50years. Living in IDP camps, separated from partners, lack of education and pre-conflict employment were significant predictors of depression, anxiety and stress. 

Mahfuz Muhammad Haddad

Papers

Determinants of Substance Abuse among Commercial Bus Drivers in Kano Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria

Anxiety, depression and stress among internally displaced persons and host community in an armed conflict region: A comparative study