assessing ghanaian teachers' perceptions and beliefs regarding substance use among school-aged children in ghana

Background: substance use among school-aged children is an international public health concern. rates of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use among school children in ghana have been increasing. objectives: the objective of this study was to assess ghanaian teachers’ beliefs and perceptions regarding substance use among school children in ghana. methods: a cross-sectional design was used. a sample of teachers from the central and ashanti regions of ghana completed a survey questionnaire assessing their perceptions of substance use among ghanaian school children. data were analyzed using spss statistical software version 23.0. t-tests and chi-square tests were used to identify associations between participants’ demographic factors and beliefs regarding drug use among school-aged children. results: the sample consisted of 289 teachers with over half (57.7%) of them being male, and ages ranging from 20-66 years old. the majority of the teachers (50.9%) indicated that they believed alcohol was the most common substance used by school-aged children in ghana. over 90% of them m indicated that they believe school children in ghana will first use alcohol before they are 13 years old. only 54.3% of teachers indicated that they are aware of drug policies in the schools where they teach. conclusions: the results from this study should encourage the development and implementation of school policies on substance use and health education programs that discuss the risks and circumstances of substance use.