Prevalence and Associated Factors of Khat Chewing among Amoud University Students in Awdal Region, Somalia

Abstract

Background: Khat is a stimulant obtained from the fresh leaves of the shrub Catha edulis, common in the horn of Africa and parts of Arabian Peninsula and has serious public health implications. The use of khat increased in Somaliland in the past decades and is associated with fewer opportunities for employment and education. Peer pressure and Cigarette smoking are observed to be connected with khat use and in universities students start chewing khat at a higher rate in the first year of university to enhance their coping capacities in view of the new environment, academic stress, separation from their families, and learning pressure. Objective: The study aims at finding the prevalence of khat chewing among Amoud University students and its associated factors. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted and a total of 1153 people were chosen for the sample using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Ten departments (main sampling units) from Amoud University's undergraduate programs were chosen at random for the first stage. In the second stage, one section (secondary sample unit) from each year of study in each chosen program was randomly chosen (if there were more than one section). All of the male students in the chosen sections were included in the study. The World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire for surveys on drug usage among students was use as bases for questionnaire development. The study excluded female students, to avoid response bias as stigma is associated with the females that chews Khat in Somalia. Results: Findings revealed that 29.4% (339/1153) of Amoud University students chew khat at least one time in their life. About 17% (196/1153) of total students are current chewers, of whom the majority started chewing khat regularly for less than a year. Those aged 24 years and above had the highest prevalence 39.2% (116/296). The rate of smokers who chew khat was 78% (213/270) and non-smokers 14.2% (125/881). Having friends who chew khat was associated with the chewing habit 44.5% (266/598) compared to those who do not have friends who chew khat 13.3 (74/555). Furthermore, having a father 34.2% (177/517), or siblings 40.2% (138/343) who chew khat was related to the person chewing khat. The chewing trend was not statistically significant between students in the different years from the first to the final-year students. Conclusion: The study indicates that khat chewing among university students is higher among Amoud students relative to studies conducted among university students in neighboring countries. In view of the high prevalence of khat use, educational institutions and the health sector should increase public health awareness about the multiple adverse health risks of this practice.