Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Substance Abuse among Adolescent Boys in Kottayam, Municipality

Abstract

Substance abuse among adolescents is a crucial health problem rising worldwide, threatening physical, mental, social, and family health which in turn affects the productivity of the nation. The present study was aimed at assessing the knowledge and attitude regarding substance abuse among adolescent boys. A descriptive design was employed in this study to assess knowledge and attitude regarding substance abuse among adolescent boys. The sample consisted of 300 adolescent boys selected by two stage cluster sampling from Higher Secondary Schools in Kottayam Municipality. The data were collected using the socio-demographic data sheet, a questionnaire to assess the knowledge regarding substance abuse, and a rating scale to assess the attitude regarding substance abuse. The findings revealed that 50.8% of adolescents were having average knowledge and only 6.6% had good knowledge regarding substance abuse and the majority (54.8%) of adolescent boys had a favorable attitude towards substance abuse. The study revealed a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude regarding substance abuse (p<0.01). In the present study there was no significant association was found between knowledge regarding substance abuse and the socio- demographic variables, but a significant association was found between attitude towards substance abuse and age of the participants (p<0.05) and presence of substance abusers in the family (p<0.001). So, the present study provides insight into the factors to consider while planning adolescent substance abuse prevention health education programs.