Factors contributing to alcohol abuse and health effects among the youth at Makhado Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

Lately, the abuse of alcohol amongst youth has become a global problem, resulting in individual, social and economic implications. Alcohol abuse is the third leading risk factor for poor health, causing disease and death in people aged 15-49 years, which is economically the most productive group. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors contributing to alcohol abuse and perceived health effects among the youth of a rural area at Makhado Municipality, South Africa The study adopted a quantitative approach, using a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of six sections; namely, demographic information of the respondents, the rate of alcohol abuse, socio-economic factors contributing to alcohol abuse, psychological factors contributing to alcohol abuse among the youth, environmental factors responsible for alcohol abuse and perceived health effects of alcohol abuse. The survey population comprised of youth aged 16-35 years. A sample of 255 participants were chosen using systematic sampling technique. The data was captured using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26. Two Hundred and fifty five (255) questionnaires were distributed to respondents and they were all completed. The findings indicate that the majority of the respondents were males (60.4%), whilst females constituted 39.6 %. Furthermore, 84 (32.9%) were in the age bracket 21-25 years; 70 (27.5%) were in the age bracket 26-30, 63 (24.7%) were in the age brackets 31-36 while 38 (14.9%) were in the age bracket 16-20. The results indicated that environment and alcohol initiation age have a significant association (P-value = 0.009). There was positive relationship as most of the respondents (45%) started drinking alcohol at the age of 16 years because in each village there are more than three (3) (45%) alcohol outlets). Nthabalala village including the local social workers should consider these factors when designing intervention strategies to minimize alcohol abuse in the area.