Abstract

Introduction: Drug abuse and its illicit trafficking is a matter of multilateral concern and is one of the most prominent social problems in many countries including Nepal.

Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge regarding drug addiction among students of selected higher secondary school of Biratnagar. Methodology: Cross-sectional research design was adopted. A higher secondary school was selected purposively and total enumerative sampling was used to students of grade 11 and 12. Self -administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge. Data was analyzed by using descriptive, inferential statistics and univariate logistic regression.

Results: Study showed that half (50%) had adequate knowledge, 45.5% had moderate knowledge and 4.5% had inadequate knowledge regarding drug addiction.

Conclusion: The study revealed that half of the respondent had adequate knowledge, and few had inadequate knowledge. The knowledge was found statistically significant with education level, family occupation and family members involved in drug addiction. Policy makers, health workers, and religious leaders must collaborate to build awareness programs for adolescents.