The Effectiveness of an Empowerment Education Intervention for Substance Use Reduction among Inner-City Adolescents in Nigeria

(1) Background: Substance use among inner-city adolescents is at an alarming rate in Nigeria. Despite their high exposure to this risk, limited experimental tests have been conducted on prevention programs. (2) Methods: This study investigates the effectiveness of an empowerment education interventi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.3731
Main Authors: Ojonuba, Hassana Shuaibu, Abdul Rahman, Haliza, Zaremohzzabieh, Zeinab, Mohd Zulkefli, Nor Afiah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adolescents
Alcohol use
Behavior
Child development
Child psychopathology
Counseling
Drug use
Drugs and youth
Education
Empowerment
Humans
Inner city
Intervention
Low income groups
Nigeria
Population
Prevention
Risk factors
Risk reduction
Self Concept
Social change
Substance use
Substance-Related Disorders - prevention & control
Teenagers
Youth
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Summary:(1) Background: Substance use among inner-city adolescents is at an alarming rate in Nigeria. Despite their high exposure to this risk, limited experimental tests have been conducted on prevention programs. (2) Methods: This study investigates the effectiveness of an empowerment education intervention in reducing the risk of substance use in Abuja's inner-city adolescents. Random selection placed adolescents into intervention and control conditions, and assessment was conducted at baseline, post-test, and 3-months follow-up intervention. After pre-test, the intervention group engaged in an empowerment education intervention of 11 sessions. (3) Results: In a post-test of three months, results show significant and positive changes among adolescents in substance use, including a notable reduction in positive attitudes toward drugs. In other words, the results showed adolescents reported less depression and substance use as well as higher peer support, parental support, social competence, and self-esteem at post-test and 3-month follow-ups as compared to the pre-intervention period. In addition, at both post-test and the 3-month follow-up, the intervention group performed better than the control group on peer support, parental support, social competence, and self-esteem. (4) Conclusions: This study presents a new indication that the empowerment education intervention effectively reduces substance use among Nigeria's inner-city adolescents.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20043731