Prevalence of substance use among rural high school students in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

This study documents the prevalence rates for use of cigarette, alcohol, methylated spirit, cannabis, mandrax and cannabis together, glue or thinners among rural high school students in Mankweng, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A multistage sampling procedure produced a sample of 1600 students in grades 9 and 11 who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalence rates for previous mouth (recent) use of alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis glue and spirits were 6.4%, 10.5%, 1.4%, 1.2% and 0,8% respectively. For all substances, males had higher prevalence rates than females. Developing alcohol and drug programme for high school students that are more gender specific may improve the effectiveness of intervention efforts at high schools. KEY WORDS: substance use, rural high school students, South Africa