The Role of the Church in Mitigating Substance Use Among Youth From Selected Full Gospel Churches in Embakasi East, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Substance use among the youth is a significant public health concern in Kenya, with recent statistics from the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) indicating alarming rates of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use among individuals aged 18-35 years. Despite the potential of religious institutions to influence behaviour and provide support, there is limited research on the specific role of Full Gospel Churches of Kenya (FGCK) in addressing this issue. Thus, this study examined the role of FGCK in mitigating substance use among the youth in Embakasi East Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. Specifically, it examined the prevalence and patterns of substance use among youth within FGCK, evaluated the effectiveness of existing mitigation programs, and explored potential collaborations between FGCK and other stakeholders like rehabilitation centres in addressing substance use. The study was guided by the Social Learning Theory and the Cognitive Behavioural Theory and employed a descriptive research design. A sample size of 331 participants were selected from the 1,912-target population, which included 624 parents who are FGCK members in Embakasi East Sub-County, 41 church leaders, and 1,247 youth between the ages of 18 and 35. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30. In order to guarantee adherence to legal and ethical standards, the required permissions and approvals were granted by Pan Africa Christian University Institutional Scientific and Ethics Review Committee (ISERC), the National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI), and the church administration. The study found that 38.81% of youth required brief intervention for alcohol use, 35.32% for tobacco use, with 80.60% having limited awareness of church-led mentorship programs and 83.50% reporting minimal participation in prevention programs. Program effectiveness was perceived as limited, with 83.10% disagreeing that programs achieved noticeable community impact. Collaboration assessment revealed 84.10% perceiving minimal church partnerships with rehabilitation centres. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between mitigating substance use and church role (r = 0.686, p = 0.000), program effectiveness (r = 0.579, p = 0.000), and collaborations (r = 0.619, p = 0.000). Regression analysis confirmed church role (B = 0.321, p = 0.000), program effectiveness (B = 0.200, p = 0.000), and collaborations (B = 0.235, p = 0.000) as significant predictors, with the combined model explaining 60.0% of variance in substance use mitigation. The study concludes that Full Gospel Churches face significant challenges in their substance use mitigation role, with limited program effectiveness and minimal external collaborations hindering their potential impact. The study recommends that Full Gospel Churches implement comprehensive substance use mitigation programs, establish strategic partnerships with rehabilitation centres and professional service providers, and develop targeted interventions that enhance youth engagement, improve program accessibility, and create evidence-based approaches for addressing substance use among youth in urban church settings.