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Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
Published in: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research

Substance use and risky sexual behaviours among street connected children and youth in Accra, Ghana

Authors: Kwaku Oppong Asante, Anna Meyer-Weitz, Inge Petersen

Published in: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Research on street children and youth has shown that this population is at high risk for substance use. Though risky sexual behaviours have been investigated and widely reported among street youth in resource constrained-settings, few studies have explored the relationship between substance use and other risk behaviours. This study was therefore conducted to examine the association between substance use and risky sexual behaviours among homeless youth in Ghana.

Method

A cross-sectional survey of a convenient sample of 227 (122 male and 105 female) street connected children and youth was conducted in Ghana in 2012. Using self-report measures, the relationship between substance use and risky sexual behaviours was examined using logistic regression.

Results

Substance use was relatively high as 12% and 16.2% reported daily use of alcohol and marijuana respectively. There were age and sex differences in substance use among the sample. As compared to males, more females had smoked cigarettes, used alcohol and marijuana. While alcohol use decrease with age, marijuana use on the other hand increases with age. Results from multivariate analysis revealed that having ever drunk alcohol and alcohol use in the past one month were independently associated with all the four indices of risky sexual behaviour (ever had sex, non-condom use, multiple sexual partners and survival sex). Both marijuana use and smoking of cigarettes were associated with having ever had sex, multiple sexual partners and survival sex. Other drug use was independently associated with non-condom use.

Conclusion

Substance use seems to serve as a possible risk factor for sexual risk behaviours among homeless youth. Harm reduction interventions are needed to prevent street children and youth from engaging in substance use and risky sexual behaviours. Such programmes should pay special attention to females and younger children who are highly susceptible to the adverse conditions on the street.
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Metadata
Title
Substance use and risky sexual behaviours among street connected children and youth in Accra, Ghana
Authors
Kwaku Oppong Asante
Anna Meyer-Weitz
Inge Petersen
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1747-597X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-9-45

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