Patterns of Alcohol Use and Associated Health Consequences among Youth in Ashaiman Municipality, Ghana
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Alcohol abuse among young people is a growing public health concern in Ghana, yet limited studies have focused on patterns of use and health-related consequences within high-risk urban communities. This study examined the patterns and health outcomes of alcohol abuse among youth in the Ashaiman Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews. A structured questionnaire was administered to 150 youth aged 15–39 years sampled from twelve ghettos across Ashaiman. Additionally, 15 participants were purposively selected for in-depth interviews to provide deeper insights into the lived experiences of alcohol use. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically.
Results: The majority of respondents were male (73%) and between the ages of 20 and 29 years. Most had low educational attainment and nearly half were unemployed. Patterns of alcohol use were shaped by easy availability (63%), emotional distress (57%), and peer influence (45%). Health consequences were widespread, with depression (59%), feelings of powerlessness (48%), and memory loss (43%) commonly reported. Qualitative interviews revealed that alcohol was often used as a coping mechanism for unemployment and stress, reinforced by peer dynamics, but also contributed to dependency, declining health, and reduced livelihood opportunities.
Conclusion: Alcohol abuse among youth in Ashaiman is driven by structural, social, and psychological factors and is associated with significant health and socioeconomic consequences. Addressing this problem requires stricter regulation of alcohol availability, expansion of youth-focused mental health services, peer-driven prevention programs, and the creation of sustainable livelihood opportunities. These findings highlight the need for multisectoral interventions that address both individual behaviors and the wider social environment sustaining alcohol use among young people in Ghana.
Keywords: alcohol abuse, youth, patterns, health consequences, mixed-methods
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Pan-African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences (PAJHPS) are open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Under this license:
-
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.
-
The work may be shared, copied, redistributed, and adapted for any purpose, even commercially.
-
Appropriate credit must be given to the original author(s) and the journal, along with a link to the license.
-
Users must indicate if changes were made.
-
There are no restrictions on reuse, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation:
Authors and users must cite the original work in the following manner:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Pan-African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/pajhps.vXnY.xxx
Copyright Statement:
Authors grant PAJHPS a non-exclusive license to publish the work and identify itself as the original publisher. Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.