Abstract:
Background: The use of substances such as illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco cigarettes by secondary school learners is considered as a health risk behavior worldwide. The use of substances continues to predispose the young generation to the risks of mental illness, depression, physical illness, and academic regression, traffic accidents, breaking of the law, school absenteeism and high dropout rates. Purpose: The study aimed to describe the factors associated with substance use amongst secondary school learners within the Thulamela local Municipality in the Limpopo Province. Methodology: The study adopted the quantitative approach using the cross-sectional descriptive design. The target population consisted of all learners registered in secondary schools that fall within the Mvudi educational circuit in the Thulamela Local Municipality. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the circuit. A simple-random sampling technique was used to select 284 respondents from grade 11 classes. Slovin’s formula was used to calculate the sample size. Self-administered questionnaires were then distributed among 284 learners. The data collected was analysed using the SPSS 26.0. Results: Among learners, 28.5% had already taken alcohol while 5.6% admitted to taking drugs. Approximately, 12% of respondents reported that a friend introduced them to substances. Furthermore, 19.4% of respondents indicated that they had siblings who use substance while, 16.5% of respondents revealed that their father use substance. It was also revealed that 35.8% of respondents had best friends who use substances. Surprisingly, learners (11.6%) reported that their sibling and father had alcohol problems. Respondents also reported easy access to both alcohol and drugs and substances because they are sold cheap. Economic factors were not related to neither alcohol nor drugs use. Gender was significantly associated with having taken alcohol, X2 (1, N = 284) = 14.33, p < .001. Only alcohol intake was significantly related to some social and environmental factors, for example, knowing a learner who use substances, family who use substances, the degree of access to drugs, seeing advertisement in the community, knowing a tavern near school and substances being easily accessible in the neighbourhood at =p<.005. Recommendations: The Department of Basic Education should strengthen the prevention of substance use programs within the school and security personnel should be strengthened in each school to fight substance use within the school premises
