- Version
- Download 631
- File Size 186.77 KB
- File Count 1
- Create Date May 19, 2022
- Last Updated May 19, 2022
The Kenya Psychiatric Association official position on substance use problems among students.
BACKGROUND
There has been a spate of fires and unrest in secondary schools across Kenya over the past one year. Substance use among the students has been touted as a major contributing factor. Heads of schools have referred children for urine substance testing, with a negative test being a mandatory requirement for readmission into school. The National Authority for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) carried out a national survey in 2018 which established that 20.2% of primary school children have ever used a substance. The Kenya Psychiatric Association acknowledges that substance use among students is a major challenge. Behavioural and health problems that arise due to substance use include: school drop-out, poor academic performance, teenage pregnancy, and risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.