ABSTRACT
Background
Bus drivers are an important part of any urban areas in any state in Nigeria. They are the main stakeholders in our transportation system. Drug abuse is a fast-rising problem in our environment which cuts across almost every age grade and has been noticed to be more at places like bus parks. Due to the importance and safety required in carrying out these responsibilities, it is paramount we access the degree of their drug abuse and the perception of it. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 bus drivers in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in the collection of quantitative data. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for analysis of data and associations between variables were determined using chi square test. Result The ages of respondents ranged from 25 to 65+ years with majority of the respondents being 55-64 years. A majority of 370(94.9%) of the respondents were male, Christian [358(91.8%)], married [318(81.5%)], in nuclear families [354(90.8%)]. Three hundred and fifty-four (90.8%) had a monogamous family structure, [225(57.7%)] had secondary education while less than half were Benin [187(47.9%)]. Two hundred and nine (53.6%) of the respondents reported that they used alcohol while less than half [178(45.6%)] reported that they abuse alcohol. While less than half [145(37.2%)] reported that they never indulge in substance abuse, majority [162(70.4%)] of those who reported abuse stated that abuse occurred at home. Over half [226(61.8%)] of the respondents reported that they take substances orally. i Sixteen (80.0%) of the respondents who had no education reported substance use compared with 39(59.1%) of those who had primary education, 151(67.1%) of those who had secondary education and 39(59.1%) of those who had tertiary education. The association between educational status and the prevalence of substance use among respondents was statistically significant (p = 0.013). The association between sex and the prevalence of substance abuse among respondents was statistically significant (p = 0.016). Majority [101(25.9%)] of the respondents disagreed that drug use is a good practice, people who abuse drugs have better social life [121(31.0%)], drug abuse helps a driver to be alert and enhances performance at work [118(30.3%)], with [217(55.6%) strongly agreeing that a drunk driver is a potential killer on the road. Half [195(50.0%)] of the respondents reported people who abuse drugs are at risk of severe diseases while less than half of the respondents were undecided about those using drugs being happier [115(29.5%)], drug abusive drivers being capable of influencing other drivers [146(51.0%)], strongly agreed to [134(34.0%)] drug abusive driver being able to influence other drivers, drivers who abuse drugs often using abusive words [164(42.1%)], and driver who abuse drug being more likely to engage in fights with passengers [152(39.0%)]. One hundred and forty-one (36.2%) agreed that drinking affects sense of judgement. Conclusion and Recommendation: This study revealed that most of the commercial bus drivers in Oredo LGA had knowledge about drug abuse, but majority had poor perception about its abuse as they see it as the see it a better way of life. Therefore, more awareness by the Government through mass media, advocacy campaigns by the health workers, strengthening of ii primary and secondary prevention programmes and tightening/reducing access to these illicit drugs by enforcement agencies should be a priority. Keywords: Bus drivers, Drug abuse, Prevalence, Determinants, Oredo LGA
