Khat chewing habit among high school students in Kabridahar City of Somali regional state, Ethiopia: prevalence and determining factors

ABSTRACT

Background & Objective

Khat has been used by about 10 million people in Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. Several epidemiological studies highlighted the adverse health and social problems associated with excessive khat use. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of khat use in secondary schools in Kabridahar where the use of khat is widely seen as problematic.

Methods and Materials

We conducted a cross-sectional study with a random sample of 251 children from three secondary schools in Kabridahar, Somali region of Ethiopia. We used demographic and khat questionnaires to collect data. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were employed to examine associations between variables.

Result

The study found a 16.7% lifetime prevalence of khat chewing and 8.4% current use among the secondary school children, respectively. Being a male student, having a smoking habit, befriending a khat chewer, having a family member who chews, and low level of literacy in the students’ responsible individual were found to be significantly associated with khat chewing habit among students.

Conclusion

The overall result of the present study indicates that the lifetime and current khat chewing prevalence were high for school children.

KEYWORDS:

• Khat use
• substance abuse
• school children

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the University of Kabridahar, Research, Publication and Technology Transfer Directorate Office, for funding and support of this study. The school directors and the data collectors are also acknowledged for their contribution and collaboration with the researchers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Approval

Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Kabridahar, Research, Publication and Technology Transfer Directorate Office. The responses of the participants were unnamed to keep their details confidential. Only participants who agreed to take part in the study were included. Participation was on a voluntary basis, with informed consent sought and gained after the study aims and objectives were explained.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the University of Kabridahar.