FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DEPENDENCE ON ILLICIT ALCOHOL AMONG RESIDENTS AGED (15-50) YEARS IN SHITOCHI SUB-LOCATION, KENYA: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

The harmful use of alcohol is a component cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis and injuries in the world. The present study aimed to determine the factors which contribute to the dependence on illicit alcohol among the residents of Shitochi sub-location in Kenya. It further intended to establish the association between socio-economic, cultural and psychological factors on dependence of illicit alcohol consumption in the region. A total of 385 participants between the ages of 15-50 were sampled through a stratified random sampling technique and data was collected through questionnaires. Multinomial logistic regression was used as the statistical model in this study. Of all 385 participants, 341(89%) were men and majority were above 40 years of age.61 (17%) participants admitted that they had increased their alcohol intake in the past year and 146 (43%) stated that their frequency of utilization had decreased.219 (57%) of the participants had no intention of quitting to drink illicit brew. There was a strong association (P= 0.011) between affordability, availability and accessibility and dependence of illicit alcohol in the region. Occupation also had a strong association (P= 0.027) with the dependence of illicit alcohol in the region. Most socio-economic factors were clearly linked to the dependence on illicit brew in the region. It is therefore important for the government to educate the people on the negative impacts of illicit alcohol to their health and general well-being and emphasize that abstinence is the best way to control dependency of illicit brew.