Khat use and users readiness to quit khat, qualitative research in the case of street people in Addis Ababa
- 6 January 2022
- journal article
- Published by Heighten Science Publications Corporation in Journal of Addiction Therapy and Research
- Vol. 6 (1), 001-006
- https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.jatr.1001020
Abstract
Khat is a huge green plant that thrives at high elevations throughout the region ranging from southern to eastern Africa, and in the Arabian Peninsula. However, chewing Khat became common among the young (youth). The objectives of this study were to investigate the khat use behavior, users’ self-understanding, and their readiness of stopping using khat among street people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A Semi-structured interview was used to collect information from street people in Addis Ababa. 15 participants were individually interviewed and 11 of them were males and the rest 4 were female participants. The data acquired from the interview was analyzed using descriptive and thematic analysis. Chewing Khat was identified as a common activity among the youth living in the streets of Addis Ababa. Most of the participants have an awareness of the use of khat and its effects on their health but they are still struggling to stop it. While the readiness to stop using khat was investigated and the addiction behavior and the lifestyle of the participants were affecting them from stooping chewing Khat.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Substance use and its predictors among undergraduate medical students of Addis Ababa University in EthiopiaBMC Public Health, 2011
- Khat in the Horn of Africa: Historical perspectives and current trendsJournal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
- A review of the neuropharmacological properties of khatProgress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2008
- Bundles of choice: Variety and the creation and manipulation of Kenyan Khat's valueEthnos, 2006
- Khat and alcohol use and risky sex behaviour among in-school and out-of-school youth in EthiopiaBMC Public Health, 2005
- Qualitative research methods within the addictionsAddiction, 2005
- Behavioural sensitisation following repeated intermittent oral administration of Catha edulis in ratsBehavioural Brain Research, 2005
- Adverse effects of khat: a reviewAdvances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2003
- Cigarette smoking and Khat chewing among college students in North West EthiopiaEthiopian Journal of Health Development, 2002
- Pharmacological properties of the stimulant khatPharmacology & Therapeutics, 1990