Cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire.

Background: Health literacy is an important multidimensional concept of public health concern and a determinant of health outcomes and access to healthcare which requires robust measurement. The objective of this study was to culturally adapt and establish the psychometric properties of the Yoruba version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Nigeria Yoruba speaking adults was conducted with the Health Literacy Questionnaire following its translation and adaptation. Data were subject to psychometric evaluation (confirmatory factor analysis, composite reliability, Cronbach's alpha, intra class correlation) and association with sociodemographic variables. Results: A total of 258 adults with mean age 26.7 years participated in the study. The easiest scale to score highly was 'Actively managing my health' and hardest was 'Ability to find good health information' and 'Navigating the healthcare system'. Six one-factor models fitted well without correlated residuals but the other three had a good fit after model modification. Composite reliability and Cronbach's α of ≥ 0.7 were observed for all scales, suggesting good internal consistency of the scales. Test-retest reliability of the Yoruba translation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire was moderate to good in all scales, intra class correlation ranging from 0.66 to 0.76. Conclusion: The Health Literacy Questionnaire was successfully translated and culturally adapted and demonstrated good content and construct validity and high composite reliability. The Yoruba translation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire has the potential of being a useful clinical tool for the assessment of health literacy, especially among Yoruba speaking community of Nigeria. Thereby helping to improve the health outcomes through access to healthcare.

Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the STarT Back tool among persons with long-term non-specific low-back pain.

Conclusion: The Y-SBT have acceptable psychometric properties. It is recommended for use among Yoruba speaking patients with LBP. Background: Translating questionnaires into local languages is essential as it aids easy accessibility and understanding of such questionnaires by patients and their health caregivers. The STarT Back Tool (SBT), validated tool used to classify subgroups of persons with Low-Back Pain, has few translated versions. We translated the STarT Back Tool into the Yoruba language and established its psychometric properties among patients with long-term non-specific Low-Back Pain. Methods: Following the Lenz protocol, the SBT was successfully cross-culturally adapted into the Yoruba language. One hundred consenting patients (mean age = 57.0±11.43 years, 55% females) took part in the validation phase, while 53 of them participated in the test-retest phase. Psychometric indices of the Y-SBT assessed showed internal consistency, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), ceiling and floor effects and divergent validity. Results: The sub- and total Cronbach's α score for Y-SBT was 0.704 and 0.857, respectively. The test-retest reliability of the sub- and total scores of the Y-SBT yielded an ICC of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74 - 0.87) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84 - 0.93), respectively. The divergent validity for sub- and total-scores of the Y-SBT based on Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale score for on-going pain was r = 0.374 (p = 0.001) and r = 0.432 (p = 0.001), respectively. The Y-SBT had no ceiling or floor effects.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of yoruba version of the short-form 12 health survey.

Conclusion: This is the first study to assess the psychometric properties of the Y-SF-12. It appears to be valid and may be an appropriate tool for assessing health-related quality of life among Yoruba population. The tool may help to improve the health outcomes of individuals, and redress health inequalities in low and middle-income countries. Background: Short Form 12 (SF-12) health survey has found its utility in clinical and research settings because of its short length that spares time. Though several translations into other languages do exist there is none available in Yoruba language. Hence, this study's objective was to culturally adapt and determine the reliability and validity of the Yoruba translated version of the SF-12. Methods: Forward and backward translations of SF-12 into Yoruba version of SF-12 (Y-SF-12) were done using the International Quality of Life Assessment Project Guidelines. Healthy participants were assessed using both English and Yoruba versions of SF-12 for the validation phase, and two weeks later were reassessed with the Y-SF-12 for the reliability phase. Results: Participants were 225 males and 171 females. The mean scores for each scale range from 73.4 to 86.1, with no gender difference. All scale and domain scores evidenced a negative skew and ranges from -1.79 to -0.62. Concurrent validity (0.879 - 0.938) and convergent validity (0.786 - 0.907) appeared to be good as reflected by their correlation values. The internal consistency of Y-SF-12 was good as Cronbach's Alpha ranged between 0.899 and 0.968, while the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged between 0.775 and 0.949.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions following total knee replacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Osteoarthritis is the single most common cause of pain and disability in older adults. This review addresses the question of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions following total knee replacement (TKR). METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, DARE, HTA and NHS EED databases were searched from inception to 02 May 2020. Search terms related to the clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions were used. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and key data were extracted. Random effect meta-analysis was conducted for pain, physical function and range of motion (ROM). RESULTS: In total, 1467 studies were identified. Of these, 26 studies were included; methodological quality of most studies was adequate. Physiotherapy interventions were more effective than control for function, SMD - 0.166 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) - 0.420 to 0.088.] and ROM, SMD - 0.219 [95% CI - 0.465 to 0.028] for a follow-up of 2 or 3 months. Patients in the intervention group showed improvement in pain at 12-13 weeks, SMD - 0.175 [95% CI - 0.416 to 0.067]. No evidence on the pooled estimate of cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions was found. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that has examined the clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions following TKR. The findings of this review suggest that physiotherapy interventions were effective for improving physical function, ROM and pain in a short-term follow-up following TKR. Insufficient evidence exists to establish the benefit of physiotherapy in the long term for patient with TKR. Further study should examine the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions.

Cost-effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions for low back pain: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Due to the rapid increase in healthcare costs of low back pain (LBP), it is important to provide clinically effective and cost-effective interventions to individuals with the condition. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate all recent economic evaluations of physiotherapeutic interventions for patients with LBP. DATA SOURCES: A literature search of Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, Health Technology Assessment and Database of Abstracts of Review of Effects (January 2008 to October 2018) was undertaken. STUDY SELECTION: Randomised controlled trials and cohort studies that assessed the cost- effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions on patients with LBP compared with a control group were included in this review. A Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist was used to assess the quality of studies. DATA EXTRACTION/DATA SYNTHESIS: Two authors extracted data independently. A descriptive synthesis was conducted to summarise the data. RESULTS: In total, 1531 articles were identified and 11 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The total number of study participants in this review was 2633 and their ages ranged from 18 to 80 years. The duration of LBP in these patients ranged from 3 weeks to 1 year. Excluding one study, all studies reported that the physiotherapeutic intervention was cost-effective compared with the control arm. Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity of the studies. CONCLUSION: Although most studies in this review suggested that physiotherapeutic interventions were cost-effective, it is difficult to pool their results for conclusive evidence. Systematic review registration number CRD: 42018089773.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the Back beliefs questionnaire among patients with chronic low-back pain.

PURPOSE: To translate, culturally adapt and conduct a psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) among patients with chronic low-back pain. METHODS: The English version of the BBQ was translated into the Yoruba language through a process of forward-backward translation, reconciliation and harmonization of the reconciled items sequentially. Thereafter, Cronbach's Alpha, Intra-Class Correlation (ICC), Bland-Altman's analysis were used to determine the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and limits of agreement of the Yoruba version of the BBQ (BBQ-Y). Other psychometric properties of the BBQ-Y explored comprised acceptability, standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC), convergent validity and floor and ceiling effects. While 119 respondents participated in the validity testing, only 51 of them were involved in the reliability testing of the BBQ-Y. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents all the respondents was 56.8 ± 8.5 years. The BBQ-Y had excellent acceptability with a global Cronbach Alpha score of 0.71. The SEM and MDC of the BBQ-Y were 2.3 and 6.4. The BBQ-Y ICC score for test-retest was 0.89, while the Bland-Altman analysis showing limits of agreements for the test-retest reliability were - 6.84 and 5.70. The convergent validity of the BBQ-Y showed a weak correlation (r = 0.273, p = 0.001) with pain intensity using the visual analogue scale. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to culturally adapt the BBY-Y and determined its psychometric properties. The BBQ-Y has adequate psychometric properties and it is an appropriate outcome measure for use among Yoruba speaking patients with chronic low-back pain.

Real-world persistence and adherence with oral bisphosphonates for osteoporosis: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined patient adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in real-world settings. METHODS: A systematic review was completed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database NHS EED) databases were searched for studies published in English language up to April 2018. Prospective and retrospective observational studies that used prescription claim databases or hospital medical records to examine patient adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonate treatment among adults with osteoporosis were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies. RESULTS: The search yielded 540 published studies, of which 89 were deemed relevant and were included in this review. The mean age of patients included within the studies ranged between 53 to 80.8 years, and the follow-up varied from 3 months to 14 years. The mean persistence of oral bisphosphonates for 6 months, 1 year and 2 years ranged from 34.8% to 71.3%, 17.7% to 74.8% and 12.9% to 72.0%, respectively. The mean medication possession ratio ranged from 28.2% to 84.5%, 23% to 50%, 27.2% to 46% over 1 year, 2 years and 3 years, respectively. All studies included scored between 6 to 8 out of 9 on the NOS. The determinants of adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates included geographic residence, marital status, tobacco use, educational status, income, hospitalisation, medication type and dosing frequency. CONCLUSIONS: While a number of studies reported high levels of persistence and adherence, the findings of this review suggest that patient persistence and adherence with oral bisphosphonates medications was poor and reduced notably over time. Overall, adherence was suboptimal. To maximise adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates, it is important to consider possible determinants, including characteristics of the patients.

Relationship between depressive symptoms and quality of life in Nigerian patients with schizophrenia.

PURPOSE: Quality of life (QOL) in patients with schizophrenia is influenced by various factors such as depressive symptoms. This study assessed the relationship between depressive symptoms and QOL in outpatients with schizophrenia in Nigeria and evaluated the associated socio-demographic and clinical factors. METHODS: One hundred patients with 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases diagnosis of schizophrenia participated in this study. Socio-demographic and clinical factors such as depression were assessed with Zung Self-rating Depression Scale and symptoms of schizophrenia with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale of schizophrenia (PANSS). The level of functioning was assessed with the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. QOL was assessed using the brief version of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: There were 27 (27.0 %) patients with depression. The depressed patients reported significant lower scores in all QOL domains when compared with the non-depressed group. All QOL domains were significantly negatively correlated with the total PANSS and all its subscales (except for psychological domain with total PANSS and social relationship and environmental domains with PANSS positive). Severity of depressive symptoms was significantly negatively correlated with all QOL domains. Functioning was significantly positively correlated with all QOL domains except in the environmental domain. Multiple regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms predicted all QOL domains except the social relationship domain while negative symptoms predicted social relationship and environmental domains. CONCLUSION: Depression is a common occurrence during the course of schizophrenia. Depressive and negative symptoms have a significant impact on the QOL of patients with schizophrenia.

Backpack-related musculoskeletal symptoms among Nigerian secondary school students.

Musculoskeletal discomfort in schoolchildren is significantly related to the weight and mode of carrying backpack to school. Prevalence and patterns of musculoskeletal discomfort among Nigerian secondary school students carrying backpack was investigated. Systematic sampling technique was used in the selection of the participating junior secondary schools for this study. Participants comprised 1,785 students aged 10-15 years. Standardised Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to collect information on musculoskeletal pain. Backpack weight and participants' body weight were measured using a weighing scale. The visual analogue scale was used to assess pain intensity. Gender differences in backpack weight, backpack percentage and musculoskeletal discomfort were studied using Mann-Whitney U test; Kruskal-Wallis test was used to study the influence of backpack carrying style on musculoskeletal discomfort; and Spearman rho correlation to determine the relationships between backpack weight, backpack to body weight ratio, age and pain intensity. There were 882 boys and 903 girls recruited into the study. Shoulder pain was the most prevalent discomfort (63.5 %), and pain was significantly higher in girls (p = 0.013). There were weak relationships between pain intensity, body weight and backpack to body weight ratio (r range 0.433-0.442; p < 0.001), and a weak negative relationship between pain intensity and age [r = -0.135; p < 0.001; 95 % confidence interval (CI) -0.168, -0.075]. There was a strong relationship between backpack weight and age (r = 0.892; p < 0.001; 95 % CI -0.129, -0.013); however, there was a weak relationship between backpack weight and body weight (r = 0.136; p < 0.001). Prevalence of shoulder pain was high, particularly among the girls, in this sample. We suggest that factors other than the weight of backpack may predispose to musculoskeletal pain. Parents, teachers and clinicians can influence the mode of carrying backpack by secondary school students.

Aggressive behaviour and mental illness: a study of in-patients at Aro Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the magnitude and pattern of aggressive behaviour among psychiatric in-patients and identity associated socio-demographic and clinical factors. METHOD: The study was cross-sectional in design. Among patients admitted to the Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Aro (and its Lantoro annex), Abeokuta between January 1 to December 31, 2005, those who manifested aggressive behaviour were identified. Each was evaluated by the medical team, and a questionnaire detailing socio-demographic and clinic variables was administered on them. RESULTS: A total of 305 patients comprising 213 (69.8%) males and 92 (30.2%) females were managed as inpatients during the period of the survey. Out of these, 43 patients manifested aggressive behaviour representing a rate of 13.8%. The aggressive patients consisted of 26 males and 17 females, representing rates of 12.2 and 18.5 percent for the sexes respectively. Of the 11 diagnoses entered for all the patients, only 3 were associated with aggressive behaviour. These included schizophrenia, 21 patients (48.8%); bipolar manic illness, 12 patients (27.9%) and co-morbid substance use (mainly cannabis) and mental disorder, 10 patients (22.3%). Nursing personnel constituted the majority of target of aggression. Unemployment was the only socio demographic variable observed with significant positive relationship with aggressive behaviour. In addition, the commonest probable precipitants of aggressive behaviour included hallucinations, clamouring for discharge and attempting to abscond, reaction to confrontational interview, impulsivity and reaction to unmet demands. CONCLUSION: Mental health practitioners (especially nurses) should be equipped with necessary skills in managing aggressive and potentially aggressive patients. The present observations may be useful in raising the suspicion of care providers on potentially aggressive patients for preventive purpose.

Psychological profile of spouses of women with infertility in Nigeria.

Ninety five men who accompanied their wives to the fertility clinic of a Nigerian teaching hospital (index group) were compared with 95 matched controls using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Their rates of significant anxiety symptoms (24.2%) and depressive symptoms (20.0%) were higher than the corresponding rates of 13.7% and 9.5% for the controls. The higher rate of significant depressive symptoms in the infertility group was significant (p < 0.05). Their mean scores on the two subscales of HADS (anxiety and depressive subscales) were also significantly higher (p < 0.001). Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that lower anxiety symptoms were predicted by age group among subjects in the index group, indicating that belonging to higher age groups was associated with lower anxiety symptoms. In addition, lower anxiety symptoms were predicted by 'being very religious'. However, higher anxiety symptoms were predicted by previous exposure to couple counselling. On the predictors of depressive symptoms, lower symptoms were predicted by age group and religiosity while higher symptoms were predicted by respondents' previous exposure to couple counselling and higher number of wives. Other factors investigated such as level of education, duration of infertility, attitude towards child adoption, pressure from extended family members on account of infertility, expectation of the respondents on the possible outcome of treatment and the result of semen analysis were not observed as predictors of anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. The observations on emotional distress among these men, together with previous observations that counselling/support received from gynecological consultations is usually inadequate indicates that the quality of psychological support that is available to them needs to be improved and modified. Involvement of mental health professionals (psychiatrists and clinical psychologists) in the provision of psychological couple counselling for infertility-related emotional distress could improve the quality of support provided. The establishment of special counselling units in hospitals providing treatment for infertility is advocated.

Stimulant use among secondary school students in Osogbo, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and pattern of stimulant use and its association with 'brain fag syndrome' among secondary school students in Osogbo, Osun State. The study also aimed to determine the association of socio-demographic variables (of the students and their parents) with stimulant use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic variables, the stimulant use section of the WHO Student Drug Use Questionnaire and the Brain Fag Syndrome Scale (BFSS) was administered on randomly selected students of the two Local Government Areas of Osogbo. The prevalence rates of stimulant use were calculated and the association of stimulant use with Brain Fag Syndrome (BFS) and socio-demographic variables was determined. RESULTS: The 30-day prevalence rate of stimulant use was 20.3%. Users engaged more in the use of common and cheap stimulants (coffee and kola nut). Majority of users started at age 13 years or below. There was a very high relationship between stimulant use and the symptoms of the BFS (p<0.001). Stimulant use was associated with lower age group, poor school attendance, polygamous background, low education of mother, high education of father and the description of mother as being too permissive. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest the need to increase the awareness of the dangers of stimulant use among students. Control programmes are urgently needed to prevent student wastage.

Factors associated with psychoactive substance use among a sample of prison inmates in Ilesa, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rates of psychoactive substance use before and during imprisonment among a sample of prisoners and the factors that are associated with current drug use among them. METHODS: All the inmates of Ilesa medium security prison, who gave informed consent to participate, were interviewed with a questionnaire detailing socio-demographic, drug-use and imprisonment-related information. RESULTS: Majority of the prisoners were young adults. The current (one month) use rates of the substances were: tobacco, 13.7%; hypnosedatives, 11.4%; alcohol, 10.7%; stimulants, 9.6%; cannabis, 7.0%; pethidine/morphine, 2.3%; inhalants, 2.3%; cocaine, 2.3%; heroin, 1.3% and LSD, 0.0%. These rates were just slightly lower than rates of use before imprisonment for hypnosedatives, stimulants, cannabis, pethidine/ morphine and inhalants. Majority of current users of cannabis (71.4%) and tobacco (68.3%) were engaged in 'heavy use' of these substances. Analyses of factors that were significantly associated with the five commonly used substances (tobacco, hypnosedatives, alcohol, stimulants and cannabis) indicated that current tobacco use was associated with unemployment before imprisonment, being a sentenced prisoner, previous mental disorder and previous arrest(s) for drug offense. Current hypnosedatives use was associated with being a sentenced prisoner, previous arrest(s) for drug offense and being held for a major offense. Current stimulants use was associated with unemployment, previous arrest(s) for drug offense, previous imprisonment and longer duration of imprisonment. Current cannabis use was associated with higher age groups and being a sentenced prisoner. Cannabis use was also associated with previous arrest(s) for drug offense, previous imprisonment and being held for a major offense, a pattern which suggests that cannabis use may be associated with criminality than the other substances. The observation on pethidire/morphine does not conform to previous observation of non-use by prisoners in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The rates of drug use are lower than figures reported from samples in western countries but similar to previous reports from Nigeria. The present observation on pethidine suggests that injecting drugs may be an emerging behaviour among prisoners in Nigeria. The prevalence rates of the substances and the similarity in the prisoners' access to drug before and during imprisonment call for drug prevention and treatment programmes within the criminal justice system in Nigeria.

Proprioception and muscle torque deficits in children with hypermobility syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Sensorimotor deficits such as impaired joint proprioception and muscle weakness have been found in association with hypermobility syndrome (HMS) in adults. HMS is more common in children than adults, yet such deficits have not been adequately investigated in paediatric populations. It is therefore uncertain as to what sensorimotor deficits are present in children with HMS. This study investigated knee joint proprioception and muscle torque in healthy children and those with HMS. METHODS: Thirty-seven healthy children (mean age +/- s.d. = 11.5 +/- 2.6 yrs) and 29 children with HMS (mean age +/- s.d. = 11.9 +/- 1.8 yrs) participated in this study. Knee joint kinaesthesia (JK) and joint position sense (JPS) were measured, with the absolute angular error (AAE) calculated as the absolute difference between the target and perceived angles. Knee extensor and flexor muscle torque was assessed and normalized to body mass. Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to compare JK, JPS and muscle torque between the two groups. RESULTS: Children with HMS had significantly poorer JK and JPS compared with the controls (both P < 0.001). Knee extensor and flexor muscle torque was also significantly reduced (both P < 0.001) in children with HMS compared with their healthy counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrated that knee joint proprioception was impaired in children with HMS. They also had weaker knee extensor and flexor muscles than healthy controls. Clinicians should be aware of these identified deficits in children with HMS, and a programme of proprioceptive training and muscle strengthening may be indicated.

Unfulfilled desire for pregnancy: gender and family differences in emotional burden among a Nigerian sample.

The aims of this study were to compare anxiety and depressive symptoms between a sample of Nigerian women and their husbands on treatment for infertility, and to identify factors, which are associated with emotional burden in their families. In total, 82 women and their spouses completed the two subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at the gynaecology clinics of a Nigerian teaching hospital. The women had a significantly higher mean anxiety score (p<0.001) and higher mean depression score (p <0,001) than their husbands. On both anxiety and depression subscales of the HADS, the scores of the women were positively correlated with their husbands' scores (p<00.1). Emotional burden in the family was significantly associated with low religious inclination of husband and wife; strained relationship of couple; extended family pressure on husband; husbands' negative attitude towards child adoption; and lower age group of wife. Women with infertility in this subregion experience higher emotional burden than their husbands. Psychological couple counselling is required to ameliorate the emotional burden of infertility imposed by these factors.

Complete recovery of renal allograft function after sixty days of delay following living related transplantation.

Delayed graft function (DGF), a term employed when a newly transplanted organ does not function efficiently is commonly observed following cadaveric renal transplantation but is very rare after living related transplants. We present a 31-year-old female recipient of a related donor kidney (mother) who had DGF following trans-plantation due to acute tubular necrosis, probably caused by partial allograft arterial thrombosis, which recovered function after 60 days. Appropriate use of allograft biopsy should be encouraged even in resource-limited settings lest the allograft be assumed to have failed irreversibly.

Substance use Among University Undergraduates: A Study of Pattern and Beliefs in Ile-Ife.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of substance use and to investigate the relationship between psychosocial variables and current use of psychoactive substances among university undergraduates. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected undergraduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife was carried out using the WHO drug use questionnaire. RESULTS: Alcohol, stimulants, hypnosedatives, tobacco and cannabis with current use prevalence rates of 20.2 %, 17.7%, 9.8%, 9.0% and 8.2 % respectively were the most commonly used substances. Inhalants/organic solvents, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and pethidine/morphine with current use rates of 3.2%, 2.6%, 2.2%, 1.0% and 0.5% respectively belonged to the 'low - use' category. However, these rates were marginally higher than most previous findings. Five variables (sex, polygamy, living outside the university campus, poor mental health and study difficulty), were significantly associated with the use of many of the substances. Also, perceived harmfulness was observed to be a possible deterrent to substance use and most users were engaged in the use of cheap and easily available substances. CONCLUSION: The observations are largely similar to those from other locations in Nigeria and may therefore be useful in preventive programmes.