Examining the Prevalence and Types of Alcohol and Drug Use among Kaimosi Friends University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/ajep.3368Keywords:
Alcohol, Drug Use, University StudentsAbstract
Purpose: This study examined the prevalence, types, and patterns of alcohol and drug use among students at Kaimosi Friends University (KAFU), as well as their awareness and knowledge of substance abuse.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed, with a stratified random sample of 350 students selected from a population of 4,800. Data collection was done using structured questionnaires adapted from NACADA in April 2025, and the analysis involved descriptive statistics using SPSS. Ethical clearance was granted by MMUST, with participant confidentiality and voluntary participation ensured.
Findings: Findings revealed that 65.1% of respondents were male, with an average age of 21.8 years. Most were government-sponsored (76%), and the largest proportion (68%) came from the School of Education and Social Sciences. A majority (57%) lived off-campus, mainly in Cheptulu (28%) and Jivuye (16%). Lifetime substance use stood at 70%, and 60% had used substances in the past year. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance (70%), followed by cigarettes (50%) and marijuana (40%). Other substances like codeine, prescription drugs, shisha, miraa, and vape products had usage rates between 20–30%, while fewer than 10% reported using hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Most students began using substances between the ages of 15–19, with accessibility playing a significant role especially for alcohol, cigarettes, and miraa.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study provides insight into prevalence and types of substances abused as well as recommending measures to inform policy in regulating access to substances of abuse as well as improving on campus support services.
Downloads
References
Baker, L., & Moore, R. (2021). The rise of vaping among university students: Trends and implications. Journal of Substance Use, 56(3), 197–204.
Brown, H. (2020). Alcohol consumption among young adults: A behavioral approach. Addiction Research & Theory, 28(5), 418–423.
Clark DA, Donnellan MB, Durbin CE, Nuttall AK, Hicks BM, Robins RW (2020) Sex, drugs, and early emerging risk: Examining the association between sexual debut and substance use across adolescence. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0228432. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0228432
Clark, L., Brown, R., & Smith, A. (2020). Peer influence and substance abuse among university students. International Journal of Psychology, 35(2), 109–116.
Dawson, R., et al. (2020). College students and substance use: Trends and behaviors in a multi-campus study. Journal of Student Affairs, 41(6), 455–466.
DiBello AM, Benz MB, Miller MB, Merrill JE, Carey KB. (2018). Examining residence status as a risk factor for health risk behaviors among college students. J Am Coll Health. 2018 Apr;66(3):187-193. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2017.1406945. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PMID: 29334004; PMCID: PMC6088815.
John, M. L., Otene, I. J. J., & Antenyi, G. E. (2023). An Overview of Drug Abuse: Causes, Effects, and Control Measures. Asian Journal of Medicine and Health, 21(11), 263–268. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajmah/2023/v21i11945
Johnson, P., & Brown, R. (2020). Effectiveness of university interventions for substance use. Substance Abuse and Misuse, 58(4), 450–455.
Johnson, S. (2019). Age of first substance use among university students. Journal of Youth Studies, 22(2), 170–175.
Kariuki, C. K., Ndegwa, P., & Otieno, A. (2023). Heroin and opioid use among youth in Kenya: A growing health threa. Journal of Substance Use and Abuse, 10(2), 117–124.
Lin, C., Cousins, S,J., Zhu, Y., Clingan, S, E., Mooney,L, J.,Kan, E,. WU, F.,& Yih-Ing Hser. (2024). A scoping review of social determinants of health's impact on substance use disorders over the life course, Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 166 (2024) 209484; journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-substance-use-and-addiction-treatment
Mbatia, C. (2024). Role of Peer Influence on Substance Abuse among Teenagers in Kenya. European Journal of Sociology, 7(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47672/ejs.2374
Miller, D., et al. (2021). Alcohol use and mental health: A longitudinal study of university students. Journal of Mental Health, 45(3), 280–289.
Mohamad Kamal, N. F. binti, bin Shafie, A. A. H., Othman, K. binti, bin Mokhtar, A. N., & bin Wahab, S. (2024). Drug and Substance Abuse among Youth: Factors, Effects and Prevention Methods. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(7), 981–998. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i7/21939
Mugisha, J., Arinaitwe, I., & Kinyanda, E. (2020). Substance use among university students in Eastern Africa: A systematic review. African Health Sciences, 20(1), 147-156.
Mwachoka, S., Ngugi, J., & Mutua, M. (2020). Access to cannabis and alcohol among adolescents: A study of university students in Kenya. Kenya Journal of Health Studies, 3(2), 88–95.
NACADA. (2022). Nacada 2022. Research Report.
Nawi, A. M., Ismail, R., Ibrahim, F., Hassan, M. R., Manaf, M. R. A., Amit, N., Ibrahim, N., & Shafurdin, N. S. (2021). Factores de riesgo y protectores del abuso de drogas entre adolescentes: una revisión sistemática. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–15. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-11906-2
Njenga, F., Mwangi, J., & Kinyua, M. (2021). Cannabis use among adolescents and young adults in Kenya: A growing concern. Journal of Addiction Research, 6(4), 77–82.
Offer E. E, Oren W, Orli G, Alexander R, Itay P & Richard I (2020).Does religiosity matter? University student attitudes and beliefs toward medical cannabis, Complementary Therapies in Medicine,Volume 51, June 2020, 102407 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102407
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2020). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States.
Sahu K. K., & Sahu S. (2012). Substance abuse causes and consequences. Bangabasi Academic Journal, 9(12), 52–59. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/246544796 Substance_Abuse_Causes_and_Consequences
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2021). World Drug Report 2021. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org
WHO. (2023). World Drug Report 2023: Cannabis, Stimulants, and Opioids. https://www.who.int
Weinandy,J.T & Grubbs, J.B. (2021). Religious and spiritual beliefs and attitudes towards addiction and addiction treatment: A scoping review, Addictive ,Behaviors Reports ;Elsevier, 14 (2021) 100393, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100393
Walker, A., et al. (2021). The link between substance use and mental health problems in university students. Psychological Reports, 66(2), 192–203.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Anne Asiko Okanga

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.