Effect of Urban Social Welfare Initiatives on Curbing drug Abuse among Adolescents in Enugu Urban, Enugu State

This study investigated the effect of urban social welfare initiatives in curbing drug abuse among adolescent in Enugu Urban of Enugu State. The specific objectives of the study were to: examine the effect of School-Based Drug Education Programs in curbing drug abuse among adolescent in Enugu Urban of Enugu State, analyse the effect of Community Health Outreach in curbing drug abuse among adolescent in Enugu Urban of Enugu State and evaluate the effect of Youth Empowerment and Vocational Training in curbing drug abuse among adolescent in Enugu Urban of Enugu State. The study utilised a quantitative research design. The population of the study was 1,277,933. The Freund and Williams statistical sampling formula was used to obtain a sample size of 400 from a finite population. The collected data was analysed through the use of Mean score while correlation analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed a negative relationship between exposure to school-based drug education and the prevalence of drug abuse among adolescents in Enugu Urban, Enugu State, it indicates a strong negative relationship between community health outreach and the prevalence of drug abuse among adolescents in Enugu Urban, Enugu State and that youth empowerment and vocational training programs significantly contribute to reducing drug abuse among adolescents in Enugu Urban, Enugu State. The study concluded that youth empowerment and vocational training programs, alongside community health outreach and school-based drug education, significantly reduce the prevalence of drug abuse among adolescents in Enugu Urban, Enugu State. The study recommended that school-based drug education programs be expanded and integrated into the core curriculum across all secondary schools in Enugu Urban.