Substance Use among Medical Students Attending Two Nigerian Universities

Abstract

Background: Medical students in Nigeria are exposed to various types of substances to enhance their academic performance .This is not without its attendant problems. Objectives: The objectives were to identify the substances used by medical students in Nigerian universities as well as to determine the socio-demographic and gender pattern on substance use among them. Methods: The study was carried out among medical students recruited from two medical colleges of two Nigerian universities. By a convenient sampling method, a total of 231 medical students were selected. Results: Sixty three medical students (27.3%) took more than 8units of alcoholic drinks in the last 30 days before the study while 46 (19.9%) took up to 8 units for the previous week. About 2 (0.8%) of the students used marijuana while none used cocaine. Five (2.2%) smoked up to 4 of cigarette in the past one week while four (1.7%) smoked up to 4 cigarette in the previous 30 days. Seven (3.1%) students used sedatives with diazepam and lexotan (Benzodiazepines) being the most commonly used. There were no association between age, social class and substance use as the observed differences in use in the different age groups  were not statistically significant P>0.05.  Conclusion: This study has shown that medical students had varying degrees of substance use; however a longitudinal study is advisable to determine the changing pattern over time. Conclusion: This study has shown that medical students had varying degrees of substance use; however a longitudinal study is advisable to determine the changing pattern over time.