Substance abuse refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and harmful drug. It is a major public health challenge all over the world which necessitated this study to assess the impact of substance abuse on the academic performance of students in selected secondary schools in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos. The study was a quantitative design that used descriptive survey method. The population consisted of students from secondary schools in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State. The sample size of 340 was calculated using the Fischer’s exact formula which measures population less than 10,000. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select the sample for this study. The researcher used questionnaires in form of check list for data collection. The instrument was validated by the experts in the field of Nursing Science and Tests and Measurement. The internal consistency method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The reliability coefficient yielded 0.70 after subjecting it to Cronbach Alpha statistics. The findings of the study revealed that alcohol, kolanut and cocaine were the commonly abused substance. The study also revealed that the substance has impact on students’ academic performance as well as adverse effect on their brain which leads to reduction in their class activities and absenteeism in the school. It was recommended among others that government should make fund available for training of all health workers on sensitization of all secondary school students on substance abuse, impact and implication to both their academic and their health.

Keywords: Academic performance, Impact, Students, Substance abuse,

Cite this article: