Alarming Increments of Tobacco and Related Substance Use among College and University Students in Ethiopia: Review

Authors

  • Aman Mehari Abraha Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Abstract

The use of substances such as tobacco, alcohol, khat, and other substances has become one of the rising public health and socioeconomic problems worldwide. Onset of smoking and alcohol drinking during early adulthood is a well-documented and significant public health risk factor and is linked to a high risk of chronic diseases at older age. Tobacco is leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment worldwide. The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing nearly six million people a year. Substance misuse/abuse is a growing problem in Ethiopia, as in many developing countries. Alcohol and khat are the most frequent substances of abuse. Studies indicate that substance use among Ethiopian adolescents is considerably rising. Of the young segment of the Ethiopian population, college and university students are at the highest risk of substance use. Tobacco causes several types of cancers and systemic diseases at large the lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In Ethiopian universities and colleges, a critical intervention is needed either pre-university or at university stay period of the students. Pre-university training that encompasses a detailed medical aspects and social problems of smoking might have long-term contribution, as the student will be also expertise after they graduate and come back to the community.

Keywords: Tobacco, alcohol, chat, university students

Cite this Article

Aman Mehari Abraha. Alarming Increments of Tobacco and Related Substance Use among College and University Students in Ethiopia: Review. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology. 2016; 5(3): 1–7p.


 

Downloads

Published

2016-10-26

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Review Articles

License

Declaration and Copyright Transfer Form

(to be completed by authors)

I/ We, the undersigned author(s) of the submitted manuscript, hereby declare, that the above manuscript which is submitted for publication in the STM Journals(s), is notpublished already in part or whole (except in the form of abstract) in any journal or magazine for private or public circulation, and, is not under consideration of publication elsewhere.

  • I/We will not withdraw the manuscript after 1 week of submission as I have read the Author Guidelines and will adhere to the guidelines.
  • I/We Author(s ) have niether given nor will give this manuscript elsewhere for publishing after submitting in STM Journal(s).
  • I/ We have read the original version of the manuscript and am/ are responsible for the thought contents embodied in it. The work dealt in the manuscript is my/ our own, and my/ our individual contribution to this work is significant enough to qualify for authorship.
  • I/We also agree to the authorship of the article in the following order:

Author’s name

 

1. ________________

2. ________________

3. ________________

_______________

We  Author(s) tick this box and would request you to consider it as our signature as we agree to the terms of this Copyright Notice, which will apply to this submission if and when it is published by this journal.