National School Survey on Substance Use and Associated Patterns in Senegal, West Africa

Drug use behaviours often begin in early adolescence. To estimate drug use prevalence among the youth, monitor trends in substance use and propose possible interventions, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has conducted a national school survey in Senegal. The target population were Senegalese students aged 15-16 years old in public and private secondary schools.

The sample was stratified by region and school type based on numbers provided by the Ministry of Education. The schools were randomly selected. The sample retained 54 schools in the 14 regions of the country. A pilot study was conducted prior to the survey. Data collection was conducted end of 2019 through a self-administered questionnaire of 57 questions on biosocial background, drug use and associated patterns. The sample size consisted of 3639 students.

The results show that 15.5% of students reported having smoked cigarettes or drinking alcohol in their life, while 7.8% had taken a tranquilizer or painkiller. The use of other psychoactive substances is much less frequent with 3.5% of young people reporting a lifetime prevalence of psychoactive substances other than tobacco, alcohol or prescribed medications. Multivariate analyses were performed separately depending on substances involved. The weight of environmental and/or psychological factors varies according to the substances considered in predicting lifetime prevalence of substances use among young Senegalese. There is an increased risk of substance use among youth who report easier accessibility to drugs, a lower perceived risk of drug use, or more problems in their daily life, including fights. Having smoked cigarettes previously translates into a 3 times higher risk of using alcohol, prescribed medications or drugs; while having used prescribed medication translates into a 5.5 times higher risk of using drugs.

The analysis identified risk and protective factors for drug initiation and consumption for Senegalese youth.