The Relationship Between Peer Influence and Alcohol Use Among School-Going Adolescents in Kasese Municipality, Uganda

Peer influence is a major contributing factor to the upsurge in risky alcohol behaviors among school-going adolescents. This trend has become a public health concern in many parts of the world. Debate continues as to whether peer influence, age, gender, and religion predict alcohol use in this adolescent group. The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between peer influence and alcohol use among school-going adolescents in Kasese Municipality. Two -structured questionnaires; the Peer Inventory Tool (PPI) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to obtain information from 233 adolescents. Adolescents aged 12-19 years, were randomly sampled from 10 secondary schools. Results indicated that 35.6% were hazardous drinkers, 10.7% were harmful drinkers, and 5.2% were dependent drinkers. Pearson correlation analysis confirmed a weak positive correlation (r=0.18) between age and alcohol use among school-going adolescents. A positive peer influence was established between adolescents and their peers and friends (PPI score of 12.18, on a scaled range of -66 to +66). The Chi-square test confirmed that there was no association between religion (p>0.05) or gender (p>0.05), and alcohol use among school-going adolescents. The results provide outcomes that can be used to promote positive peer relationships among school-going adolescents and policy regulation of alcohol use and abuse in schools.