Family Socioeconomic Status, Religiosity and Alcohol Use among Secondary School Adolescents in Bushenyi Ishaka Municipality, Uganda

Abstract

This paper reports research on levels of family socioeconomic status, religiosity and alcohol use among secondary school adolescents in Bushenyi Ishaka Municipality, Uganda (BIM). The study employed a cross- sectional survey design with quantitative method of data collection and analysis.  Proportionate stratified, and systematic simple random sampling techniques were used to arrive at the final sample of participants. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire with standardized scales. The instrument comprised Bio-data, SES scale, religiosity, spiritual scale for Youth, and AUDIT Test for Alcohol use. Responses were obtained from a total of 404 participants who included females as the majority (54.7%).  The mean age of the students was 15.91. Results show that majority of the students came from families with moderate levels of socioeconomic status. It was further discovered that students had low levels of alcohol use and high levels of religiosity. Implications of the study findings are discussed.