Assessment of the Factors Responsible For the Use of Illicit Drugs by Medical Students in Sports in a Tertiary Institution in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

The use of illicit drugs in recent times in modern sport has become an issue of growing concern. This study assessed the factors responsible for the use of illicit drugs by medical students in sports in Delta State University Abraka The target population included five departments in the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of Delta State University Abraka. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted among 1,436 medical student athletes of the College of Health Sciences of Delta State University Abraka and random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 143 respondents. A researcher-made confidential questionnaire was the instrument used for the collection of data. A coefficient index score (r) of 0.78 was obtained which ascertained the internal consistency of the instrument was reliable. A total of 120 questionnaires were successfully retrieved and used for data analysis. Mean score and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were adopted as statistical tools for analyzing the obtained data. There was significant (p<0.05) relationship between the age of medical students and their knowledge of illicit drugs used in sports, however, there was no significant (p>0.05) relationship between the gender of the students and their knowledge of illicit drugs used in sports. Similarly, there was no significant (p>0.05) relationship between type of school of medical students and knowledge of illicit drugs used in sports. Findings from the study further equally revealed that there was no significant (p>0.05) relationship between parental background and medical students’ knowledge of use of illicit drugs in sports. Based on the findings of this study, it is obvious age was supported to determine the use of illicit drugs in sports by medical in sports, hence, the need for stringent policies to be censored especially towards the age requirement for medical student participation while adopting adequate measures to curtail the use of illicit drug among medical students.

Keywords: Illicit drugs, Sports, Gender, Age, Medical students