The Intervention strategies to reduce substance abuse among adolecents in low-resource communities of Tshwane District Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

Substance abuse remains a critical major public health concern globally and is particularly alarming in the low-resource communities of Tshwane district municipality, Gauteng, South Africa where adolescent substance abuse continues to rise despite government interventions. This study aimed to develop effective intervention strategies to reduce substance abuse among adolescents in low-resource communities of Tshwane District Municipality. A pragmatic convergent parallel mixed-method design was employed. In Phase 1, a systematic review was conducted to extensively search for literature regarding intervention strategies to reduce substance abuse among adolescents. Phase 2 involved empirical data collection where 25 adolescents and 5 ward leaders were interviewed for the qualitative strand, while 397 adolescents participated in the quantitative strand. Phase 3 focused on strategy development, and Phase 4 used the Delphi technique for validation by experts with expertise in the field of substance abuse. Purposive sampling technique was applied for the selection of qualitative participants, and simple random sampling technique with Slovin’s formula was used for the quantitative respondents. Data was collected through interviews and self-administered questionnaires for qualitative and quantitative strands respectively. Qualitative data was thematically analysed using Tesch’s eight stages of data analysis, and the quantitative data was analysed through SPSS v25.0 and STATA and visualised through PowerBI. Validity, reliability and trustworthiness were ensured, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used for conceptualisation. Key findings highlighted that adolescents whose parents abuse substances are more vulnerable to substance abuse and crime. Lack of recreational activities, parental guidance, and community-based prevention programs were also highlighted. Both strands confirmed six adolescent and four ward leader themes. These were validated by various experts and stakeholders including nurses, teachers, doctors, psychologists, ward leaders, traditional leaders, parents and adolescents. Intervention strategies included NGO establishment, strengthened immigration control, religious leader involvement, parentchild communication, health education, and community forums. A SWOT analysis helped identify strategic factors, and BOEM was applied to minimise threats. The developed strategies were validated using descriptive statistics. The study underscores the urgent need for youth-friendly, evidence-based intervention strategies. Recommendations were derived directly from the study findings to guide future policy and program development.