ABSTRACT
Objective:
determine the prevalence of drug use and to investigate the relationship between knowledge of consequences and drug consumption as well as the relationship between academic performance and drug consumption among university undergraduate students in Jamaica.
Method:
the study uses a cross sectional design. A total of 250 undergraduate students were selected through a randomized cluster sampling process. A modified survey instrument consisting of over 70 items relating to socio-demographics, knowledge of consequences, drug consumption and academic performance measures was used to test the research question and hypothesis.
Results:
the findings revealed low levels of drug usage as well as problematic usage, however, there was a weak negative yet statistically significant correlation between the academic performance and alcohol use (r=-.139, p=.028) which suggested that an increase in alcohol usage is associated with reduction in academic performance. The independent T test also revealed a statistically significant difference between those who used alcohol and those who did not use alcohol in the past 12 months based on academic performance.
Conclusion:
the findings will inform policy decisions regarding drug use and the provision of intervention services. It is recommended that this research should be extended to other universities in Jamaica.
DESCRIPTORS
Knowledge; Drugs; Consequences of drug use; University; Students