PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE OF OKADA RIDERS TOWARDS DRUG ABUSE IN ILORIN METROPOLIS, KWARA STATE

Drug abuse is a huge global health and critical problem which has made it a matter of significant public health importance in most countries. Drug abuse poses significant threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities and nations. This study investigates the perceived attitude of Okada riders towards drug abuse in lorin metropolis, Kwara state, Nigeria. The study was aimed at investigating the general knowledge of drug abuse among Okada riders, examining the relationship between Okada riders' knowledge of drug abuse and the abuse of drugs; exploring their perceived attitude towards drug abuse and proffer possible solutions that can be employed to ameliorate drug abuse among the Okada riders in our society. A cross sectional study design was employed to select Okada riders for the study. Samples of 180 respondents were selected for administration of self designed questionnaire to elicit information from the respondents. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: sociodemographics of the participants, knowledge on drug abuse, perceived attitude towards drug abuse. The statistical analyses of frequency counts, percentages and Pearson's chi-square using the statistical package of Data Analysis (SPSS; 2012 edition) to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of Significance. Findings showed that there is some adequate knowledge of the risks of drug abuse among Okada riders and there was significant difference in the attitude of Okada riders to the use of drugs. In conclusion, the negative attitude of Okada riders to drug abuse is a cause for concern; since the youths who form majority of Okada riders in the metropolis are the future of the nation. It was recommended that health education and counseling intervention, stressing the health implications of drug abuse and how to come off drug abuse through psychotherapy should be put in place.