Susceptibility of orphaned youth towards smoking tobacco, cannabis, and heroin in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The current study assessed the first age of initiation of smoking tobacco, cannabis, and heroin among orphans and non-orphan heroin injectors. This study sought to find out whether orphaned people who inject drugs (PWID) (17–25 years old) were more vulnerable to smoking tobacco and cannabis than their non-orphaned PWID counterparts. It was hypothesized that orphaned PWID (17–25 years old) were more vulnerable to smoking tobacco, cannabis, and heroin than their non-orphaned PWID counterparts. The aim of the study focused on the age of initiation of the three substances (tobacco, cannabis, and heroin) among orphans and non-orphan PWID as well as cannabis consumption among orphans and non-orphan PWID. The participants consisted of 298 (203 male and 95 female) PWID aged 17 to 25 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2009 and March 2010 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Modified snowball sampling was used to recruit study participants. Data were collected using computer assisted, interviewer administered, face-to-face surveys. The results found no statistical significance in the age of initiation among the three substances as well as current cannabis consumption between orphan and non-orphan PWID. Gender differences were found in the age of initiation of smoking tobacco; age of initiation was lower in males than females (15.72 vs. 16.34 years). Contrary to our hypothesis our findings suggest that orphaned PWID are not more vulnerable to early initiation of neither smoking nor current cannabis smoking than their non-orphaned PWID counterparts.
Subject Area
Public health
Recommended Citation
Njue, Sarah, "Susceptibility of orphaned youth towards smoking tobacco, cannabis, and heroin in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam" (2013). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI1552323.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI1552323