Socio-Demographic Determinants of Health Seeking Desires of Youth Involved in Substance Abuse in Kinondoni Municipality - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to identify and assess the role of socio-demographic factors associated with health seeking desires by young people involved in substance abuse in the Kinondoni Municipality of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The background of this study is in the fact that although little, if anything is known about social and demographic factors associated with the tendency of youth involved in substance abuse to seek health support and rehabilitating services. The study was informed   by the Health Belief Model. The study was also guided by the positivist and constructivist paradigms based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data resulting from a mixed method of research approach.  The study was nested in a cross-sectional descriptive survey with a blending of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The main target population was youth involved in substance abuse including persons who regularly interact with them in a variety of ways.  Data was collected by using closed ended questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD's) and documentary reviews. The methodology and support theories were triangulated to authenticate collected data. The respondents and   participants in the study were randomly and purposively sampled out. Quantitative data was analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The findings show that sex, education level, and income were significant socio-demographic factors associated with the tendency and urge of youth involved in substance abuse to seek health support services.  The age, marital and occupational status of the respondents were identified to be among the suspect socio-demographic determinants of the desire of persons involved in substance use to seek health support.  The researcher concluded that social and demographic factors such as sex, education, income, age, marital status and occupation were associated with the urge of the concerned persons to seek health support. The researcher recommends that more efforts should be made to prevent and control substance abuse among the youth through inter alia strategies that integrate the identified factors. The government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should team up and collaborate in accommodating these socio-demographic factors   in their planning initiatives in the joint effort to stamp out   substance abuse in Tanzania.