What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Public health challenges on June 1, 2026.

Sex-specific pathways to cannabis use among African university students

Sex Differences in the Factors Associated With Lifetime Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Use Among Ghanaian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Public health challenges • June 1, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This cross-sectional study examined substance use patterns among 600 undergraduate students in Ghana, revealing significant sex differences in lifetime use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. Overall, 16.7% of students reported lifetime cannabis use, but this varied dramatically by sex: 27.4% of males had used cannabis compared to only 11.6% of females. The research identified several key factors that predict substance use, including being male, older age (>24 years), peer or family drug history, religion, parental supervision, family conflict, and residential autonomy.

The study's most important contribution is its revelation that sex differences profoundly shape substance use patterns through distinct protective and risk factors. For males, strict parental supervision and absence of family conflict provided protection against alcohol use, while Islamic faith offered similar benefits for females. Female-specific risk factors for cannabis use included residential autonomy and persistent family conflict, suggesting that the pathways leading to substance use—and those protecting against it—differ meaningfully between sexes. Male sex emerged as the strongest predictor of cannabis use across the sample, with males being 2.56 times more likely to report lifetime use.

These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention strategies in African educational settings. The researchers emphasize that one-size-fits-all approaches to substance use prevention will likely fail; instead, interventions must be sex-sensitive and culturally grounded, accounting for how religion, family dynamics, parental oversight, and housing situations differently influence substance use decisions for men and women. This culturally-informed perspective is particularly valuable for understanding cannabis use in non-Western contexts, where religious beliefs and family structures may have stronger protective effects than individual-level interventions alone.

📄 Original Abstract

Substance use among university students in Ghana is a pressing concern, with pronounced sex differences yet poorly characterised determinants. This study examined factors associated with lifetime alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use among undergraduate students, with explicit attention to sex-specific patterns. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2023 at the University for Development Studies, Tamale. A total of 600 undergraduate students were recruited using quota sampling proportional to school, year and sex, followed by simple random selection (response rate 100%). Lifetime use was defined as self-reported use of each substance at least once, measured using an adapted World Health Organization (WHO) Student Drug Use Survey. Sex-stratified modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors estimated prevalence rate ratios (aPRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Lifetime prevalence was 17.7% for alcohol, 17.0% for tobacco and 16.7% for cannabis. Males reported higher use across all substances (alcohol: 31.1%; tobacco: 30.6%; cannabis: 27.4%) than females (11.3%, 10.6%, 11.6%). In the total sample, male sex (aPRR 2.01), older age (>24 years) (1.85) and peer or family drug history (1.41-1.48) predicted higher alcohol use, whereas Islamic faith (0.59) and residing at a friend's house (0.49) were protective. Male sex (3.12) and non-Christian religion (3.28) predicted tobacco use. Male sex (2.56) was the only pooled predictor of cannabis use. Sex-stratified analyses revealed distinct patterns: strict parental supervision and absence of family conflict protected males against alcohol use; Islamic faith protected females; residential autonomy and persistent family conflict were female-specific cannabis risk factors. Sex differences profoundly shape substance use among university students in Ghana. Religion, parental oversight and family dynamics are key protective or risk factors that differ by sex. Prevention strategies must be sex-sensitive and culturally grounded.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Public health challenges
Published: June 1, 2026
PMID: 42051379
DOI: 10.1002/puh2.70250

Authors (5)

Yula Salifu Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health School of Public Health University of Ghana, Legon Accra Ghana.
Joseph Lasong Department of Population and Reproductive Health School of Public Health University for Development Studies Tamale Ghana.
Amidu Alhassan Department of Adult Health School of Nursing and Midwifery University of Cape Coast Cape Coast Ghana.
Frank Offei Odonkor Department of Adult Health School of Nursing and Midwifery University of Cape Coast Cape Coast Ghana.
Torjim Salifu Department of Population and Reproductive Health School of Public Health University for Development Studies Tamale Ghana.