Prevalence and Associated Factors of Substance Use Male Population in East African Countries: A Multilevel Analysis of Recent Demographic and Health Surveys From 2015 to 2019

Abstract

Background: East Africa is still home to one of the world’s highest rates of substance user. Substance use is primarily associated with male behavior and is becoming one of the region’s most public health issues. Methods: The study included data from 11 East African countries’ Demographic and Health Surveys. About 55 307 men were enrolled in the study and multilevel logistic regression model was applied Result: East African countries had a 43.70% prevalence of substance abuse coverage. Education level, age, current working status, marital status, wealth index, media exposure, residence, and nation were all found to be statistically associated with substance use of males. Conclusion: In East African countries, the prevalence of substance abuse among men was high. As a result, substance control programs should focus on the poor, not (least) educated, rural people, and adult age groups, who are the region’s most vulnerable social groups.

Alcohol and khat dual use among male adults in Ethiopia: A multilevel multinomial analysis

“…Thus, men with higher educational level were more likely to use alcohol, and alcohol and khat in combination. This result is in line with other studies [ 42 , 51 , 52 ]. This could be explained by educated peoples being largely younger, who are more vulnerable to the use of these substances due to peer pressure, curiosity, and a means to relieve stress [ 53 ].…”

“…The odds of khat and alcohol use alone or in combination were higher in working men than men who were not working. Studies in East Africa [ 42 ] and Korea [ 47 ] have reported similar findings. The possible reason could be working men are more prone to work-related stress, which might lead to unhealthy coping behavior such as substance use, including khat.…”

“…At individual level: regarding age group, younger men, 15–29 years and 30–49 years increased odds of khat, alcohol and dual use compared to older men, 45–59 years. Previous reports from East Africa [ 42 ], Saudi Arabia [ 43 ], and India [ 44 ]) also confirmed that younger people are more likely to indulge in khat and alcohol, alone or in combination. The higher prevalence of khat and alcohol consumption in younger peoples emphasizes the importance of implementing prevention strategies for this age groups.…”

Use of tobacco and other illicit drugs among adolescent boys and young men in Kampala, Uganda: A result of low parental attention?

“…Research on the influence of parental attention on illicit drug use among adolescent boys and young men within the Ugandan context is largely limited. However, although evidence suggests that challenges due to illicit drug use, such as risky sexual behavior and suicidal ideation are greater among males than females [ 24 , 25 ], the present discourse of interventions rarely targets boys. Besides, recent studies have only focused on in-school adolescents [ 26 ], but data for the very young adolescents (10–14 years) are usually missing, since most surveys enroll participants aged 15 years or older.…”

The mediating role of self-control on the relations between adverse childhood experiences and substance use among adolescents in Uganda

“…While socialisation and access to drugs and substances are major drivers of gender variations in drug and substance use in the socio-cultural domain, biological factors such as brain structure and function, endocrine systems, and metabolic processes are important determinants of biological differences in men and women ( McHugh et al, 2019 ). In Sub-Saharan Africa, substance use behaviour is more prominent in males than females ( Fentaw et al, 2022 ). The lifetime and current substance use were 3.2 and 2.8 times higher among males compared to females ( Fentaw et al, 2022 ).…”