The assessment of drug use experiences among Junior Secondary School students: a pre-evaluation for Keepin’it REAL pilot intervention in Lagos State

Background:
The study aimed to assess junior students’ experiences with drug use to identify theneeds for the implementation of the keepin’it REAL intervention, an efficaciousschool-based program that aims to reduce drug and substance use amongadolescents.

Methods:
The survey was conducted among junior secondary school students in 8 selectedpublic schools that had not received drug abuse prevention intervention in theAgege and Alimosho local government area of Lagos State Education District 1. Therespondents were 510 junior students from randomly selected classrooms from theJunior Secondary Class 2. Data were collected using a self-reported structuredquestionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS software.

Results:
The sex distribution of the respondents was 52.2% males and 47.8% females, withmean age of 13.3 years. The prevalence of lifetime drug use among respondentswas: alcohol (25.0%), tobacco (3.1%), marijuana (2.9%), inhalants (3.3%), other harddrugs (5.5%). Those who have received drug offers from peers were 15.5% rankingthe highest among the other categories such as from adults in family, other adults,siblings, and cousins. The easiest drugs to obtain were alcohol (16.9%) and tobacco(16.7%).

Conclusion:
The results show the experience of junior students with drug use, emphasizingsubstance initiation at an early age by a small group of students, the influential roleof peers in drug offers, and the accessibility of substances, particularly alcohol andtobacco. The findings underscore the need for the implementation of an evidence-based and culturally adapted preventive program, such as the keepin’it REALcurriculum for adolescent prevention.