Health Literacy, Perceived Prevalence, and Health Related Risks of Substance

Substance abuse among university students is a growing public health concern, with significant implications for their physical, mental, and social well-being. Therefore, this investigation revolves around health literacy, perceived prevalence and health related risks associated with substance abuse. A survey research design was adopted in collecting data from 300 undergraduates using researchers’ self-administered questionnaire. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the four research questions and hypotheses. The results revealed a high level of health literacy and perceived prevalence of the health risks associated with substance abuse. Health literacy was significantly associated with perceived prevalence of substance abuse, but no significant association was observed among health literacy, perceived prevalence of substance abuse, and health related risks. The findings suggest the need for preventive measures such as regular seminars, workshops, peer mentoring, and digital health campaigns to support students experiencing health related risks of substance-use.