Influence of Drug Advertisements in The Media On Drug Abuse in Secondary Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the influence of media-based drug advertisements on drug abuse among secondary school students in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was motivated by increasing concerns regarding adolescent exposure to alcohol, cigarette, and substance-related content through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and digital media platforms. An ex-post facto research design was adopted. The target population comprised Form Two and Form Three students, deputy head teachers, and heads of guidance and counselling departments from selected secondary schools within Nakuru County. Nine schools were sampled through simple random sampling, while purposive sampling was used to select deputy head teachers and guidance and counselling heads. A total of 335 respondents participated in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that students were highly exposed to media content promoting alcohol and cigarette consumption, with television and radio advertisements exerting considerable influence on students’ attitudes and behaviours toward drug use. The study further established that school-based guidance and counselling programmes were insufficiently structured to effectively counter the influence of persuasive media advertisements. The study concludes that unrestricted exposure to drug-related advertisements contributes significantly to adolescent drug abuse. The study recommends stricter government regulation of alcohol and cigarette advertisements, strengthening school counselling programmes, enhancing parental supervision, and promoting media literacy education among learners.