Is it high and is there a push? Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of substance use among young people in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria

Nigeria, with a youth proportion surpassing 70% of the country’s population is plagued by an increasing rate of substance use amidst the frightening projections. The present study sought to determine the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of substance use among young people in Calabar metropolis. The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2021 among young people (n=275, aged between 15-29) recruited using multistage sampling procedure in the two LGAs of the metropolis. The data were analysed using SPSS v.26 and presented in frequency, percentage and chi-square test of association. A lifetime prevalence of 23.3% was derived. Period prevalence in the past one month (26.5%) and one year (12.4%) were also obtained from the respondents with a 13.8% daily use frequency. Caffeine (26.6%), alcohol (23.7%) and sedatives (16.4%) were the most used types of substances among the groupwith the majority attributing the reason for use to relieving stress (43.6%). There was a significant association between age (p=0.000), family background (p=0.005), mode of living (p=0.003), employment status (p=0.000) and highest education level (p=0.000), and the prevalence of drug use in the metropolis. The study reinforced evidence of the increasing prevalence of substance use among young people in Calabar metropolis with a strong influence by selected psychosocial factors. Innovative strategies for multilevel interventions should be adopted for driving a holistic approach in addressing the influence of these factors.