Prevalance of Khat Use, Attitude, Perception towards Its Utilization and Associated Risky Behaviour In Jigjiga Town,Ethiopia

KHAT USE: PREVALANCE, ATTITUDE, PERCEPTION AND ASSOCIATED RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR IN ETHIOPIA ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Khat (Catha edulis forsk) contains a psychoactive substance called Cathinone, which produces central stimulation analogous to amphetamine. It is widely abused in East Africa especially in Ethiopia. Habitual use of khat renders influences the physical psychological and economical well being of the community. The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude of khat use by the youth, attitudes and perceptions towards its utilization and other risky behaviors. METHOD: A cross sectional community based study was conducted in Jigjiga Town from January 15 to March 12, 2009. Structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics, pattern of khat use, sexual behavior, attitudes and perceptions related to the use of these substances. RESULTS: A total of 728 completed the questionnaire with the response rate of 93.5%. 42.6% are males and 58.4% females. Their age ranged from 12-21 years, 210 (38%) reported to have chewed khat in their lifetime. Higher proportion of males (28.5%) chewed khat more frequently than their female (8.5%) counter parts during their recent sexual practice. Condom use during the recent sexual intercourse has no statistically significant difference between the 2 sexes (0.06). but,the overall proportion of condom non-users was very high. Males and ever married (p=0.03) were 3 to 4 times more likely to have multiple sexual partners compared to females and single counter parts, respectively. Khat chewers were thrice more likely to have multiple sexual partners. CONCLUSION:substance use and multiple sexual intercourse were widely practiced among the studied population. High proportions of youths are engaged in the consumption of substances and sexual practice with multiple partners. Interventions to bring about behavioral changes among the youths on the risk of substance use are recommended. KEY WORDS: Khat, Somali region, youth, Ethiopia